Nursing Education to Promote Clinical Reasoning Skills: A Case-Based Learning in Adult Nursing Course

Abstract

Introduction: Nursing education serves a critical role to prepare graduate nurses with clinical reasoning competence. Clinical reasoning is a crucial aspect in developing the nursing students’ clinical judgement and decision making, which lead to a safe and high quality of nursing care. The Faculty of Nursing, Prince of Songkla University, applied a learning module in the Adult Nursing Course in the 2022 academic year. Case-based learning is one of the methods that are used in this module with the aim of promoting the learners’ clinical reasoning skill through Hoffman’s clinical reasoning process and nursing process; it consists of the following elements: 1) consider the patient’s situation, 2) collect clues/information, 3) process information, 4) identify problems/issues, 5) establish goals and a nursing care plan, 6) take action, 7) evaluate outcomes, and 8) reflect on the care process and new learning. During learning activities, students are supervised by senior lecturers, whose role entails making suggestions, providing conclusions, and evaluation learning outcomes. Conclusion: The promotion of clinical reasoning skills in the Adult Nursing Course via case-based learning is one of the methods used at the Faculty of Nursing, PSU to promote the nursing students’ clinical reasoning and critical thinking skills in order to help them develop effective clinical decision-making.