Philosophical Reasoning
Critical thinking is the capability of a person to reason with clarity and rationality over their actions and believes, it involves being able to take part in independent and reflective thinking. However, having a great memory and knowledge of facts is not critical thinking. Even though one can use critical thinking abilities to unveil fallacies and poor reasoning, critical thinking is essential in performing constructive duties and cooperative thinking. This paper will focus on the demonstration of poor critical thinking and its consequences.
Personal experience
A best-case scenario is the lack of critical think among medical personnel that resulted in the loss of both my aunt and her newborn. My aunt had her first child through C-Section however, there were some complications during the procedure, hence the doctor advised her to have a VBAC (Vaginal Birth after Caesarean Section) on consequent pregnancies. Thus during this fateful incidence, she went to a local hospital for her second delivery. Despite the medics noticing her poor English comprehension, they took no effort to provide her with an interpreter, hence she could not understand the advantages and risks of the procedure.
Also, the medics never told her of the high risk of undergoing a caesarian section with a Vaginal Birth after Caesarean Section (VBAC) delivery. Besides, the medics failed to advise my aunt on the chances of her initial C-section scar rupturing which would expose her baby to suffocation due to lack of oxygen, and brain damage. While in labour, the medics observed that my aunt’s urine had a rose colour, this was probably due to the rapture of the previous C- section wound, yet they took no action.
Furthermore, the medics noticed signs of distress in the baby’s heart rate then followed by recurring bradycardia, this is an emergency that requires immediate delivery. Even though there were three obstetric personnel available, who would have performed the delivery, they waited for an intern doctor thus causing an hour delay. As a consequence of the delay, the medics delivered the child in very poor conditions thus causing the child to suffer severe brain injury and permanent disability. The baby needed close attention, feeding through tubes and frequent suctioning for the clearance of the airway, which was very expensive and time-consuming. Unfortunately, both the mother and daughter succumbed to the injuries, I lost my aunt on the fate full day, due to over bleeding and lost my nephew two years later, from difficulty in breathing that related to brain damage.
How the situation could have been prevented
Aside from the medical attendants providing my aunt with an interpreter, as this would have enabled her to understand the kind of procedure she was to undergo, they should have taken her through the risks involved with the procedure and even find a safer alternative. Also, as soon as the attendants noticed signs of distress in the baby’s heart rate, they should have carried on with the delivery instead of waiting for the intern.
Philosophical reasoning that perpetuated the wrong decision(s)
The medical personnel, in this case, failed to display critical thinking as it was essential for them to be considerate of the patient’s condition and provide the necessary help. They were fully aware of the consequences of their negligence yet they chose to assume, this led to the death of both the mother and daughter, had they taken the necessary action, the consequences would not have happened.
Conclusion
Critical thinking is essential in our day to day lives, as lack of it could cause irreversible damages. For someone to be a critical thinker, they should be aware of reasonable connections between thoughts, recognize, and analyze arguments. Besides, reflecting on the validation of their principles and beliefs, notice inconsistencies and obvious errors in reasoning, and also solve problems systematically.