Tips to improve patient educationPreventing re-hospitalization is a huge responsibility, especially in consideration of costly penalties that are levied for early readmissions. To accomplish this, nurses need to constantly improve patient teaching and education prior to discharge. Some of the things nurses can do to advance patient education include: Show
Five strategies for patient education successTeaching patients is an important aspect of nursing care. Whether teaching a new mom how to bathe a newborn baby or instructing an adult who is living with a chronic heart disease, a successful outcome depends on the quality of the nurse’s instruction and support. Consider these five strategies. 1. Take advantage of educational technologyTechnology has made patient education materials more accessible. Educational resources can be customized and printed out for patients with the touch of a button. Make sure the patient’s individualized needs are addressed. Don't simply hand the patient a stack of papers to read, review them with patients to ensure they understand the instructions and answer questions that arise. Some resources are available in several languages. 2. Determine the patient’s learning styleSimilar information may be provided by a range of techniques. In fact, providing education using different modalities reinforces teaching. Patients have different learning styles so ask if your patient learns best by watching a DVD or by reading. A hands on approach where the patient gets to perform a procedure with your guidance is often the best method. 3. Stimulate the patient’s interestIt's essential that patients understand why this is important. Establish rapport, ask and answer questions, and consider specific patient concerns. Some patients may want detailed information about every aspect of their health condition while others may want just the facts, and do better with a simple checklist. 4. Consider the patient’s limitations and strengthsDoes the patient have physical, mental, or emotional impairments that impact the ability to learn? Some patients may need large print materials and if the patient is hearing impaired, use visual materials and hands on methods instead of simply providing verbal instruction. Always have patients explain what you taught them. Often people will nod “yes” or say that they comprehend what is taught even if they have not really heard or understood. Consider factors such as fatigue and the shock of learning a critical diagnosis when educating patients. 5. Include family members in health care managementInvolving family members in patient teaching improves the chances that your instructions will be followed. In many cases, you will be providing most of the instruction to family members. Families play a critical role in health care management. Teaching patients and their families can be one of the most challenging, yet also rewarding elements of providing nursing care. First-rate instruction improves patient outcomes dramatically. The value of patient education resourcesFor further resources that will strength your organization’s patient-teaching, let Lippincott Advisor help. Our best-in-class, evidence-based decision support software for institutions includes over 16,000 customizable patient teaching handouts and content entries. Section II. PATIENT TEACHING7-6. FACTS RELATED TO PATIENT TEACHING a. Patient teaching is a function of nursing and a legal requirement of nursing personnel. Teaching is considered a function of nursing. In some states teaching is included in the legal definition of nursing, making it a required function of nursing personnel by law. b. Patient teaching is defined as a system of activities intended to produce learning. These activities should help the patient meet individual learning objectives. If they do not, the patient's need should be reassessed and the activities replaced by others. For example, explanation alone may not teach a diabetic patient how to prepare the syringe for an injection. Actually preparing the syringe may be more effective. c. Patient teaching is a dynamic interaction between the nurse (teacher) and the patient (learner). Both the teacher and the learner communicate information, emotions, perceptions, and attitudes to the other. d. Before learning can occur, a relationship of trust and respect must exist between the teacher and learner. The learner trusts the teacher to have the required knowledge and skills to teach and the teacher respects the learner's ability to reach the goals. This relationship is enhanced by communication that is continuous and reciprocal, once mutual trust and respect have been established. e. The goal of patient teaching is the patient's active participation in health care and his compliance with instructions. Once the nurse begins instructing a patient (or family/support persons), the teaching process should continue until the participants reach the goals, change the goals, or decide that the goals will not help meet the learning objectives. 7-7. STEPS IN THE TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESS
a. Assess the Patient's Learning Needs.
b. Diagnose the Learning Needs. Be realistic. When a lack of knowledge, attitude, or skill hinders a patient's self-promotion of health, the nurse diagnoses the deficit. Confirm your diagnosis with the family. In addition, assess your own knowledge base and teaching skills. You teach information and skills to patients which you lack. c. Develop a Teaching Plan. Planning ensures the most efficient use of your time and increases the patient's chances for learning. A teaching plan follows the steps of the nursing process.
d. Implement the Teaching Plan. The implementation phase may be only a few minutes or the sessions may extend over a period of days, or perhaps months. Use interpersonal skills as well as effective communication techniques. Do not use technical and medical terms unless the patient has a medical background, but avoid a condescending attitude. Your attitude has a greater effect on the patient than any other factor. If the patient must learn special techniques or procedures, tell him or her that it takes time and practice to perform these new skills confidently. Review the contractual agreement before implementing the teaching plan.
CONTRACT AGREEMENTI will participate in the learning activities planned to help me learn about a low cholesterol diet. While hospitalized, I will read the materials given to me and ask questions if I do not understand. I will cooperate with the dietitian, CPT Meaney, and the nurse, SFC B. Wellman, in planning my meals. If I need help when I get home, I will call SFC Wellman Julie Davis I will provide Julie Davis with the activities necessary for her to follow a low cholesterol diet accurately. B. Wellman, LPN Figure 7-1. Example of a contractual agreement.
e. Evaluate the Teaching-Learning. Do not assume that learning has occurred without feedback. The key is to write measurable learner objectives in the teaching plan that describe the desired behavior.
7-8. FACTORS WHICH AFFECT LEARNING a. Factors, which affect patient learning, need to be assessed in order for appropriate teaching strategies to be used. b. Include the following factors in your assessment.
7-9. PRINCIPLES FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING-LEARNING a. These basic principles are effective guidelines when applied in situations in which the teaching-learning process is used by nurses to meet the needs of clients. NOTE: Clients may be patients, family members, or support persons.
b. The teaching-learning process and the nursing process are interdependent. Patient teaching is approached more effectively if the steps of the nursing process are followed. 7-10. TYPES OF LEARNING a. Three domains, or types of learning, have been identified as cognitive, affective, and psychomotor.
b. Nurses should include each of these three domains in patient teaching plans (see paragraph 7-7a(2)). 7-11. SELECTING TEACHING STRATEGIES
a. Consider the different teaching strategies during the planning stage and choose a method of teaching that is suited to the individual being taught, for the material to be learned, and for you, the teacher. b. Consider the content and the types of learning. The content to be taught is determined by the objectives. For example, when teaching self-care to a recently diagnosed diabetic, one of the objectives may be "Identify appropriate sites for insulin injections." This means that you must include content about body sites suitable for insulin injections. You should have some knowledge of sources for content information as a result of your own education and training. c. Consider the following in matching sources of content information with a suitable strategy for the individual learner and for you, the nurse-teacher:
d. Some methods are better suited to certain learning objectives than others. A 10-year old recovering from burns as a result of playing with matches would be receptive to a comic book on personal safety; an adult burn victim could learn similar information by discussing safety measures. Use of a variety of teaching strategies aids learning. See Table 7-1 for selected teaching strategies for the three types of learning and characteristics of each strategy. 7-12. SEQUENCING THE LEARNING EXPERIENCES a. Whether formal or informal, teaching requires a plan or it becomes haphazard and the patient's need for information goes unattended. The following guidelines are helpful in sequencing or ordering the learning experiences.
Table 7-1. Selected teaching strategies.
7-13. CLOSING The role of the practical nurse varies with the situation. Practical nurses actively participate as team leaders, managers, and teachers. The traditional skills of nurses were psychomotor skills involving use of the hands. Individualizing care and communicating activities require nurses to use affective skills. Cognitive skills are required in all aspects of the nursing process. These expanded nursing roles have established new dimensions for nursing practice. Continue with Exercises What is the first step in the development of a patient teaching plan?The first step is to assess the patient's current knowledge about their condition and what they want to know. Some patients need time to adjust to new information, master new skills, or make short- or long-term lifestyle changes.
What is the first step in the development of a patient teaching plan quizlet?The first step in developing a patient education plan is to: identify the purpose and topic. Patient education should be: documented in the patient's medical record.
What is the first action by the nurse in developing a teaching plan?To develop an effective teaching plan, the nurse must first determine a client's needs, which can include information the client needs to know about a particular medication; the client's ability to learn, accept, and use information; and any barriers or obstacles to learning (which might include the client's ability to ...
What is the correct order in the patient education process?According to the evidence and studies, the patient education process includes need assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation (13-16). The first step is assessing the patient's learning needs, learning style and readiness to learn.
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