Lim Hui Koon

KK Womens & Childrens Hospital, Singapore

Abstract Title:Empowering Nursing Practice – Ward-based Case Discussions Led by Advanced Practice Nurses

Biography:

Nurses are often required to make quick, informed decisions in complex clinical environments. There is however a gap in teaching strategies that effectively bridge theoretical knowledge with practical application, and this can negatively impact patient care and outcomes, and the professional development of nurses. A teaching programme led by Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) designed to improve clinical decision-making and enhance patient care through case discussions has thus been piloted in two Gynaecology wards and one Neonatal ward in KK Women’s & Children’s Hospital in Singapore. The goal is to foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration among the healthcare team. A monthly series of interactive, ward-based case discussion sessions were conducted with facilitation by APNs, inaugurating in the Gynaecology wards from September 2023, and successively in a Neonatal ward in August 2024. Each session focused on real patient scenarios for relevancy. A typical case discussion had a focus on either approach to symptom(s), physical assessment, investigations and interpretation of results, or overall case analysis. Learning objectives were assessed through self-created feedback surveys to evaluate participants’ learning experience, satisfaction, and confidence at the end of each session. To date, 14 sessions were conducted in the Gynaecology wards since its inception. 150 nurses attended the sessions, and 56 contributed to the surveys. For the neonatal ward, 70 nurses had participated in the monthly sessions over a 4-month period and 57 provided their feedback. All participants reported knowledge acquisition and greater confidence in managing complex clinical situations. Participants also indicated that the case-based approach helped integrate theory into practice, and showed keen interest to continue with these sessions. The positive feedback suggests that case-based learning is a valuable educational tool in nurse-led teaching programmes, with potential for scalability to further improve clinical practice and patient care, and enhance clinical reasoning and decision-making among nurses.

Research Interest:

Hui Koon completed her Master of Nursing at the National University of Singapore in 2019. She is a Paediatric Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) from KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital. She has more than a decade of experience in neonatal and paediatric nursing, and she is presently practising in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Her interest in nursing lies in the Clinical and Education tracks, and she co-leads a clinical education programme where she trains the paediatric nurses returning from their Advanced Diploma course to help bridge and integrate their knowledge and skills learnt in school into clinical practice.