The effect of an unfolding case study on critical thinking, knowledge acquisition, and handoff communication in baccalaureate nursing students

Joint Event on 5^th World Congress on Neonatology and Pediatrics & World Congress on Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice

February 25-26, 2019 | London, UK

Antionella Upshaw

Southern University and A&M College, USA

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Nursing Research and Practice

Abstract :

Statement of the Problem: Miscommunication during handoffs at time of transition for the older adult often results in hospital readmissions. Researchers report that handoff communication (HOC) is a critical responsibility and varies in educational methods creating a latent patient safety risk; therefore, it is imperative that nurses be educated and trained in how to communicate. The unfolding case study (UCS) is increasingly being used to promote critical thinking and improve communication, but the lack of evidence to guide educational practice limits the use in nursing programs. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an UCS teaching pedagogy on critical thinking, knowledge acquisition and HOC.

Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: A quasi-experimental study design examined the effect among seventy-one (71) baccalaureate nursing students. The basic tenets of Social Constructivism were utilized to guide the research. Students were asked to complete pre- and post-test questionnaires in Health Education Systems, Inc. (HESI) custom exam, Handoff-Clinical Examination (CEX), and Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT). The UCS using pre-clinical activities, faculty training, communication workshop, and debriefing was conducted over a two-week period. The Solomon four-group meta-analysis approach was used to determine the effect of the UCS on learning outcomes before and after the educational intervention and implementation of the Introduction, Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation (ISBAR) standardized tool.

Findings: No significant differences between the treatment and control groups on knowledge acquisition, HOC, and critical thinking were observed. A positive correlation was found (r (70) = .322, p<.05), indicating a relationship between knowledge acquisition and critical thinking. Participants exposed to the UCS had higher mean Handoff-CEX provider and receiver performance scores than participants who had been exposed to the traditional case study. Findings supported the basic tenet of Social Constructivism in that students learn by doing rather than observing in a social context.

Biography :

E-mail: antionella_upshaw@subr.edu