Individual and organizational accountability for development of critical thinking.

Advanced abilities to think critically are necessary to improve clinical systems, decrease errors and sentinel events, and engage staff involvement to refine patient care systems. The authors explore practical methods, based on current research, to promote mature critical-thinking skills in healthcare professionals, from patient care clinical judgment to a leadership perspective. Individual and organizational accountabilities for expanding critical thinking skills are investigated, and a problem-solving model is proposed as a coordinated strategy.