Effects of an unfolding case study on clinical reasoning, self-directed learning, and team collaboration of undergraduate nursing students: A mixed methods study

Abstract

Background: Clinical reasoning is an essential nursing competency that students must develop to provide safe patient care. Developing and utilizing unfolding case studies, which present constantly changing patient conditions to improve students' clinical reasoning and to foster communication and self-reflection, can help to achieve that imperative.

Objectives: To develop an unfolding case study and to test its effectiveness in improving clinical reasoning, team collaboration, and self-directed learning.

Design: A mixed methods design.

Setting: One university in Southern Taiwan.

Participants: Forty nursing students.

Methods: An unfolding case study was developed based on the clinical reasoning model and unfolding cases model. The Nurses Clinical Reasoning Scale, Self-Directed Learning Instrument, and Questionnaire of Group Responsibility and Cooperation in Learning Teams were used. Forty nursing students completed questionnaires and nine of them participated in focus group discussions. Wilcoxon signed-rank, Spearman correlation, regression, and inductive content analysis were used to analyze data.

Results: Students' abilities in clinical reasoning, self-directed learning, and team collaboration were statistically significantly improved after implementation of the unfolding case study. Emergent themes included "patient-centered communication," "group inspiration and learning," "thinking critically and reflecting on oneself," and "applying theoretical knowledge in care to meet patients' changing needs."

Conclusions: Unfolding case studies provide a safe environment in which nursing students may learn and apply knowledge to safe patient care.

Keywords: Clinical reasoning; Nursing students; Self-directed learning; Team collaboration; Unfolding case study.