Nokea
A nurse observes that the past five clients referred from a community clinic have been treated for drug and/or alcohol overdose. Based on this information, the nurse assumes that the clinic specializes in the treatment of substance use. This is an example of what type of reasoning?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Inductive reasoning involves observing specific instances to form a general conclusion, as seen here. The nurse notes five overdose cases from a clinic and infers it specializes in substance use, moving from particular observations to a broader assumption. Deductive reasoning reverses this, applying a general rule (e.g., all overdose clinics specialize) to a specific case, not fitting here. General systems theory analyzes wholes and parts, irrelevant to this logic. The nursing process is a care method, not reasoning. Inductive reasoning's strength lies in pattern recognition, useful in nursing for hypothesis generation like identifying care trends but risks overgeneralization without further data. It shapes initial assessments, guiding deeper inquiry into the clinic's role, reflecting nurses' adaptive thinking in real-world settings.