NLN

http://www.nln.org/facultydevelopment/facultyresources/aces/unfolding_cases.htm

Introduction to Unfolding Cases

The Simulation Team Advancing Gerontological Education Strategies (STAGES) developed four unfolding cases, designed to be used throughout the curriculum, to provide faculty with tools to help them incorporate the Essential Nursing Actions into their teaching/learning activities.

An unfolding case is one that evolves over time in a manner that is unpredictable to the learner. New situations develop and are revealed with each encounter. Each case includes the following:

  • A first-person monologue that introduces the individual or couple and the complex problems they are facing.
  • Simulation scenarios designed to help students practice assessing function and expectations of their patient(s), with links to appropriate evidence-based assessment tools, including those from the Try This:® and How to Try This Series.
  • An innovative final assignment that asks students to "finish the story."
  • An instructor toolkit with suggestions on how to use the various parts of the unfolding cases and incorporate them into the curriculum.

The four cases are:

  • Millie Larsen
  • Red Yoder
  • Henry and Ertha Williams
  • Julia Morales and Lucy Grey

All of the cases are designed to meet the general objectives listed below, but each case also has its own specific objectives.

Upon completion of this unfolding case study the learner will:

  1. Assess the function and expectations of the older adult using valid and reliable assessment tools.
  2. Recognize atypical presentations in the older adult.
  3. Identify geriatric syndromes evident in the unfolding case.
  4. Use emerging evidence and best practices to develop and implement a plan of care.
  5. Make appropriate judgments regarding the risks and benefits of care decisions in collaboration with the interdisciplinary team, the older adult, and significant others.

The cases were written so you can modify them to meet the needs of your curriculum. Since preparation is the key to a successful simulation experience, please read through the entire unfolding case before using it. The following recommendations are meant to help both faculty and students have a meaningful learning experience:

  • These cases were designed so students can use the ACES Essential Nursing Actions as a framework for thinking about the case and planning their nursing interventions, so students should be introduced to these concepts before implementing the cases. They will be more successful in the simulation scenarios if they review the introductory monologues and the recommended resources and tools prior to the simulation.
  • We have included best practices but realize that treatments vary by region. You may wish to include medications, treatments, and standards of care that are current practice in your area.
  • No intentional errors were included in these cases, such as incorrect treatments or medication doses.
  • You may wish to increase or decrease the complexity of the scenario depending on the level of students that are participating.

These unfolding cases combine the power of story telling with the experiential nature of simulation scenarios. They are intended to create a robust, meaningful experience for students, one that provides a simulated experience of continuity of care and one which will help them integrate the concepts and Essential Nursing Actions into their practice of nursing.

NLN-SIRC

http://sirc.nln.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=706

As an educator, you are probably familiar with case studies and simulation technology. Unfolding Cases will help you discover a way of teaching and learning that reveals new information over time. The case may be presented in a day, a week, a term, or across the curriculum. Unfolding Cases offers innovative ways to incorporate this teaching strategy into your learning environment.

  1. Define an unfolding case.
  2. Discuss the rationale for choosing the unfolding case approach.
  3. Differentiate the pedagogical practices that pertain to unfolding cases.
  4. Develop an outline for an unfolding case.
  5. Create a story that serves as the basis for an unfolding case.
  6. Describe various methods to evaluate an unfolding case.

QSEN Unfolding Case Studies

http://www.qsen.org/view_strategies.php