2.8. Prioritization: Critical Thinking
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
- Understand and explain the importance of prioritizing patient needs in a healthcare setting.
- Identify and categorize patient needs into different urgency levels (Critical, High, Moderate, Low).
- Assess and prioritize patient scenarios based on urgency and justify their decisions.
- Practice decision-making through role-play exercises to simulate real-life prioritization in a clinical setting.
- Reflect on challenges and strategies for improving critical thinking in patient care.
Part 1: Warm-Up
Think about the following questions and discuss them with your classmates:
Why is it important to prioritize patient needs in a healthcare setting?
Can you think of situations where a patient’s needs might be urgent?
Write down two examples of situations where prioritization is important:
Example 1:
Example 2:
Part 2: Introducing Urgency Levels
What Are Urgency Levels?
Patient needs can be categorized into four urgency levels:
Critical Needs: Immediate action required (e.g., severe chest pain).
High Priority: Needs attention soon (e.g., high fever).
Moderate Priority: Can wait but should be addressed (e.g., mild headache).
Low Priority: Non-urgent (e.g., routine check-up).
Review the chart below and examples of symptoms for each urgency level, add two more example for each urgency level
| Urgency Level | Examples | Your example |
|---|---|---|
| Critical Needs | Difficulty breathing, uncontrolled bleeding | |
| High Priority | Severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting | |
| Moderate Priority | Sprained ankle, minor cuts | |
| Low Priority | Mild cold symptoms, general questions about medication |
Urgency Levels Exercise: Match each symptom/ situation with the priority level.
Part 3: Patient Scenario Assessment
Your group will receive a set of patient scenarios. Read through each scenario carefully.
Discuss the urgency level of each patient’s needs and prioritize the scenarios from most urgent to least urgent.
Write your group’s prioritization below and explain your reasoning.
| Scenario | Urgency Level | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Example: Severe chest pain | Critical | Immediate action needed to prevent heart attack. |
Be prepared to share your group’s prioritization and reasoning with the class.
Part 4: Role-Play Exercise
Scenario: You are a CMA in a busy clinic, and you have three patients waiting:
- A patient with severe abdominal pain.
- A patient here for a routine follow-up for a cold.
- A patient with a sprained ankle.
- In your group, assign roles: one student will act as the CMA, and the others will act as the patients.
- The CMA must quickly assess the situation and decide which patient to see first, second, and third. Use the urgency levels to guide your decision.
- After the role-play, discuss:
-
- What was the most challenging part of making the decision?
- Did the CMA make the right choice? Why or why not?
- Switch roles so that each student gets a chance to practice prioritization.
Part 5: Wrap-Up and Reflection
Reflection
- What challenges did you face in prioritizing patient needs?
- How can critical thinking improve patient care?
- What did you learn from the role-play exercise?
Class Discussion:
Share your insights from today’s activities. How will you apply what you learned to your future role as a CMA?
