D.+Resource+(ii)+Mind+Concepts+&+Mapping

A thousand neurons = a thousand ideas.... now how to mesh them together?

MIND & CONCEPT MAPPING Overview: Mind mapping is also known as concept mapping. The notion of this tool is to facilitate critical thinking. The commencement point is listing one single thought or idea and then visually developing links to mesh ideas in sequence - to identify consequences in a free flowing format. Mind maps are multi-sensory in nature according to D’Antoni, Zipp, Olson and Cahill (2010) who further assert mind maps are a valuable study and decision making tool for facilitating the student’s organisation, understanding, retention and application of knowledge and skills. Applications of mind mapping can include note taking, planning and decision making (D’Antoni, Zipp, Olson & Cahill 2010) as well as client care planning (Mueller, Johnston & Bligh 2001). In relating this to a nursing environment, consider for example community care planning for a child with cerebral palsy. By using the mapping tool for charting ideas the nurse is able to list areas that require attention (falls risk), note patient likes (wants to play football) and dislikes, acknowledge family concerns (only mum deals with medical issues with the children); by jotting down these initial single ideas, the nurse then commences to find links and priorities through the use of mind mapping. Consider the following visual example created using the mind map tool at [|http://www.bubbl.us]



This process allows for more free flow of thoughts and ideas and is exceptionally useful in family conference situations. Traditionally, the care plan is developed using a column approach with a rather formal horizontal process where each domain of need is identified and then a goal established intervention to achieve the goal, resources and evaluation and timeframes categorised. Mueller, Johnston and Bligh (2002), indicate three areas of caution associated with the traditional formal approach firstly, it stifles critical thinking particularly of the student who may be inclined to copy previous care plans, secondly it does not embrace the concept of holistic nursing processes and finally the established tool is inflexible in terms of process of acquiring the data. In an earlier study by Mueller, Johnston and Bligh (2001), the authors found that by changing from a matrix format to a mind map allowed greater facilitation of critical thinking and wider ranges of ideas, plans and evaluations were established. This view is also supported by Azad and Fathi Azar (2005), who indicate that while the concept of mind mapping is not a new tool its introduction to the nursing environment represents a contemporary approach to problems solving and critical thinking enhancement. While the above example relates mind map application within care planning, another area of utilisation is in developing decision making trees for use in triage and implementing protocols such as management of croup. Action plans can easily be developed in consultation with families so that their unique requirements are taken into consideration. An example to illustrate this point could be the development of a management plan for a child in a rural area with hemophilia- the local response may be to alert the Brisbane children's hospital instead of driving to the closest rural hospital.

Click on this link to view examples of decision making trees: located in the Images section of the article by Eugene, Viscusi, Rehana, Schechter, Lenart and Willoughby (2009). []

Further versions of similar concepts include FreeMind. A tutorial demonstration is available at the following URL []

and Visual Understanding environment (VUE) from Tufts University which can be located at []

For Mind mapping basics for the visual learner try: []

=**References:**= Azad R & Fathi Azar A 2005, 'Mind mapping; an innovative method in nursing education' //SBMU Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery Quarterly,// vol. 14, no. 47, p.55, (online EBSCOhost).

D’Antoni A, Zipp G, Olson V &Cahill T 2010, 'Does the mind map strategy facilitate information retrieval and critical thinking in medical students?' //Medical Education,// vol .10, pp. 51-54, (online EBSCOhost).

Eugene R, Viscusi, M Rehana, J, Schechter L Lenart S & Willoughby P 2009, Organization of an acute pain management service incorporating regional anaesthesia techniques, //NYSORA,// viewed 18 March 2011, []

Mueller A, Johnston M & Bligh M 2001, 'Mind mapped care plans: a remarkable alternative to the traditional care plans' //Nurse Educator,// vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 75-80, (online EBSCOhost).

Mueller A, Johnston M & Bligh M 2002, 'Joining mind mapping and care planning to enhance critical thinking and achieve holistic nursing care' //Nursing Diagnosis,// vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 24-27, (online EBSCOhost).