Case studies teach new hires problem solving
Tackle tough discharge planning situations
To prompt nurses to begin thinking about difficult cases and planning early for discharge, Susan Lewis, RN, BSN, a health education specialist at Christiana Care Health System in Newark, DE, created eight case studies to include in new employee orientation.
She presents each study to the group of newly hired nurses and asks what education they need to provide to prepare the patient for discharge. Once the nurses have exhausted their ideas, she makes suggestions. During the discussion, Lewis introduces resources that are available at Christiana Care that might help the nurses with their teaching.
The resources not only include written materials but employees that can be called upon when nurses can’t seem to get the message across to the patient. They include three health educators; three wound, ostomy, and continence nurses; and a nutrition therapy nurse.
The scenarios used for educational purposes cover difficult cases such as congestive heart failure patients, patients with diabetes, and patients going home with a new tracheotomy. One case scenario, for example, is an unsafe discharge. In it, Lewis describes an elderly gentleman who is a little confused, lives at home alone, and hasn’t been very good about taking his medications. When he was admitted, he was unkempt; and the physician is discharging him.
"I am trying to incorporate situations where nurses would need to assess the situation critically and determine what help they might need," she says.
To include case studies in the patient education portion of orientation, Lewis advises patient education managers to identify their resources first, or what is available to teach the patient. For example, are there diabetes educators available or pharmacists that can teach about medications?
Also determine what the problem areas have been in the past, she says. For example, having situations arise where newly diagnosed diabetes patients are ready to be discharged yet they have not had any teaching, and the educator is called at the last minute identifies a hot spot.
"Either use your experience or consult people that are experienced in that problem area to assist you in developing some sort of scenario that would apply to that specific problem," says Lewis.
To prompt nurses to begin thinking about difficult cases and planning early for discharge, Susan Lewis, RN, BSN, a health education specialist at Christiana Care Health System in Newark, DE, created eight case studies to include in new employee orientation.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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