Double-blind peer reviewed paper Problem-based learning — a case for infection control

Abstract

odern health care requires a workforce that is capable of exploring complex issues, articulate,M and has the capacity to develop problem-solving strategies based on reflective decision-making. The importance of education in the prevention of health care-associated infection is well documented, however measuring the effectiveness of infection control educational programmes has been problematic with insufficient programmes and unsatisfactory levels of compliance being reported. Nursing has traditionally favoured didactic approaches to teaching that suffer from theory overload and treat learners as empty vessels waiting to be filled with knowledge. Infection control nurses should consider innovative student-centred approaches such as problem-based learning (PBL) that recognises learners as cognitive beings, with a frame of reference constructed from a lifetime of experience. In PBL a problem or trigger is encountered in the learning process and serves as a focus for the application of problem-solving or reasoning skills. Clinically relevant material can translate problem solving into the learner's experiential language, enhance intrinsic motivation and assist them to become more adaptable and self-directed. As content experts, ICNs are well positioned to produce material grounded in reality, which will stimulate the students and guide them towards their learning outcomes. An example of a problem-based case study is included.