Integrating Complex Pain Concepts Into Prelicensure Nursing Education

BACKGROUND: Unfolding case studies are an active learning strategy that help students integrate knowledge with practical experience, enhancing clinical judgment and easing their transition into professional practice. PROBLEM: Chronic pain, a complex health issue, is often inadequately addressed in nursing curricula, leaving prelicensure nursing students unprepared to manage pain effectively in clinical practice, contributing to the academic-practice gap. APPROACH: Using an evidence matrix, faculty interviews, and syllabi analysis across 4 programs, gaps in chronic pain concepts were identified. A 4-term unfolding case study was developed to address these gaps, aligned with the American Association of College of Nursing Essentials and following a patient from acute to chronic pain transition. CONCLUSIONS: By incorporating evidence-based, active learning strategies like an unfolding case study for a complex concept such as chronic pain management scaffolded across a curriculum, nurse educators can better prepare future nurses for practice.