Final answer:
Critical thinking is the ability to clearly and rationally connect information to actions, such as deciding to administer CPR during cardiac arrest. This skill is vital in assessing the situation and performing the appropriate medical intervention to save a patient's life. The correct option is 2.
Step-by-step explanation:
When faced with a patient experiencing cardiac arrest, the skill that clearly and rationally identifies the connection between information and actions is known as critical thinking.
Critical thinking involves analyzing and evaluating information to make informed decisions. In emergency situations like cardiac arrest, this means assessing the patient's condition and determining the necessity for CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) -
which involves applying pressure to the sternum between the lines at T4 and T9 to manually compress the blood within the heart and maintain blood flow, particularly to the brain to avoid irreversible damage.
CPR is a lifesaving procedure that should be performed by an individual with proper training to mitigate risks such as broken ribs or more severe damage to the patient.
The current standards recommend chest compressions to be at least 5 cm deep and at a rate of 100 compressions per minute. CPR is crucial until the patient regains spontaneous contraction or is evaluated by healthcare professionals. Option 2. is the correct one.