Effective Patient Education Essay

REPLY1

Being that Ms. Alma Faulkenberger is 85 years old, she has most likely had many interactions with healthcare staff that may have led to her this non-compliant, difficult way of thinking. “A participatory relationship between patient and physician appears to be the most important factor promoting medication adherence” and that “the more actively the patient is involved, the higher the level of adherence and the greater the chance that the patient engages in healthy diet and exercise behaviors” (Kleinsinger, 2010). Research has shown that open communication, quick responses and creating a trustworthy relationship will help the patient remain compliant with their plan of care. Effective Patient Education Essay

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I would start my interaction by introducing myself, apologizing and asking her how to pronounce her name. Then to develop a plan for Ms. Alma to be compliant with the procedure and post-treatment, it is important to assess her needs, and include her in the planning. Opening the floor with open ended questions and allowing her to voice her opinions and needs/wants is a method that enables her to feel included in the plan of care. I would use this time to discover any barriers in learning such as difficulty hearing, unable to read, living situations and needs at home. I would ask how she learns best, reading, written or demonstration. After assessing her and asking her questions, I would then use what I discovered to implement education. I would ask her to teach back what she has learned. It would be best if this teaching were done with a family member to help with coherence to the plan. Effective Patient Education Essay

Kleinsinger F. (2010). Working with the noncompliant patient. The Permanente journal, 14(1), 5

REPLY2

To help Alma be compliant with the invasive pelvic procedure and post-treatment medication, the health care professional must develop a plan. The first step is providing therapeutic communication. Explaining the logic behind the plan, understanding the patient perceptions of the treatment and procedure, and talking about any problems with the post-treatment plan is important to have an effective plan (Falvo, 2011). Asking her about her family and other significant people can help aid in the education efforts as well. Being specific and providing printed handouts can help with the higher level of education needed for an extensive procedure and treatment. Being a positive influence on patient adherence is a great skill of health providers to have. Building a relationship should also be part of the health professionals plan to assist in Alma being successful in procedure and post-op treatment. Effective Patient Education Essay

Then, another step in the plan should be to meet the patients individual needs, if that patient wants to go biking again, we can work with her to ensure she can do that in 6 weeks after post-op for example and maybe collaborate with PT/OT to get here there. Same with finding out a medication regimen that works best for her every day life, if she has a book club at 10am every Wednesday, but you ask her to take it at 10am she may skip doses. The plan should be holistic and use communication and creating a relationship with the patient for it to be successful. Meeting the individuals needs with their strengths and being aware of weaknesses is also important. In patient education, the health professional should talk calmly, clearly, and slowly. Providing follow up questions and really taking the time to listen to Alma is very important. Using all of this into the plan of care, Alma’s pelvic procedure and post-treatment medication should be successful. Effective Patient Education Essay

Falvo, D. R. (2011). Effective Patient Education: A Guide to Increased Adherence. Retrieved from https://viewer.gcu.edu/RQBKXW

According to Healthy People 2012 there are more then 800,000 new cases of diabetes each year, with the numbers on the rise. With this in mind, Healthy People 2012 has identified diabetes as their number five focus area. In order to reach their goal of improving the quality of life for people with diabetes they have identified diabetes teaching as their number one objective. Furthermore, in order to reduce the number of complications of diabetes, Healthy People 2012 has identified foot ulcers as their ninth objective. Through patient education Healthy People 2012 hopes to reduce the number of foot ulcers in people with diabetes, as diabetes is the number one cause of nontraumatic amputations in the United States. Effective Patient Education Essay
stated that he wears a size ten shoe however he does not own a pair of shoes in his size. With all these factors involved it becomes obvious that J.L. is a diabetic patient in need of foot care teaching, in order to prevent further complications. After identification of a patient teaching need the next step in the teaching process is establishing a measurable goal. “Teaching goals are broad in scope and set down what is expected as the final outcome of the teaching and learning process” (Wilkinson & Van Leuven, 2007, p. 538). In order to achieve a high level of standard, teaching goals need to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. For our example, the teaching goal for J.L. and his diabetic foot care is as follows: Client is able to state five things he can do to prevent diabetic foot complications by the end of the teaching session implemented on Sunday January 24, 2012. Specifically, the five items J.L. will identify are to monitor and manage his diabetes, inspect feet daily, wash feet with warm water while drying between toes and apply moisturizing cream to feet daily (not between toes), avoid walking barefoot or with unfitted shoes, and calling the doctor should he notice any changes in his feet. In this case the level of prevention used, when implementing the diabetic foot care teaching, is tertiary prevention. “This intervention begins once the disease if obvious: the aim is to interrupt the course of the disease, Effective Patient Education Essay

Today’s healthcare industry focuses more and more on patient education as a vital tool to use by HCPs with all patients, no matter what group age they are. “In today’s world, patients can take on more responsibility for their own care, and they must” (Paula Duistermars, HLT 306 Lecture 4). A well informed patient is more willing to be compliant and help out in achieving a positive outcome than an uninformed and uneducated patient. Our goal as HCP’s, as well as the patient’s ultimate goal, is to offer, thus receive, the best care possible.
The HCP’s job of establishing effective patient education with the elderly can be a challenge. In dealing with the older patient, the HCP must consider all factors that influence their willingness to be compliant, such as culture, religious beliefs, family, awareness of their condition, other medical conditions they may be experiencing, as well as making sure that they show empathy and genuine care, and are respectful and thoughtful of their needs and preference. “Patient education should address helping the older person to assume responsibility for a share of his or her own health care” ,therefore the HCP should use ways that encourage and engage the patient to participate in their plan of care. Effective Patient Education Essay
A proof of this is the interview with my great-grandma, Martha, who is in her late 80s:
“Grandma, you carry many pills with you every time you travel. Why are you taking them?”
“I am old, and I need these to keep strong and stay healthy. My doctor takes good care of me, and at every visit if I don’t take these, it will show in my tests. Also, I have to take my vitamins and supplements, that’s how I stay sharp and can come visit you guys!”

“Now, do you know whether you can take these all together, every day?”
“Yes, yes, I go to the same pharmacy and refill, and my nurse went over all pills with me and explained what they do. Don’t worry dear, I may be old, but I know how they work, have been taking them for years…” Effective Patient Education Essay

“I notice grandma that you go for a walk every morning, and you also go for a swim once a day. Is this something your doctor asked you to do?”
“I had a heart-to-heart talk to my doctor, God bless him, and he’s so nice…He asked what I like to do that he can consider exercise. So I told him, I like to swim, and I like to walk. And there it was, my exercising, I do them both sometimes

Health literacy is an on-going problem in the United States. For more than twenty years health literacy has been a barrier to self-management of health care needs, compliance, and understanding. Nurses must be more effective in utilizing “teachable moments”, with each patient encounter. Traditional patient teaching strategies may no longer be adequate in providing the needed education and support to patients, families and caregivers. Nurses will need to employ multiple strategies of patient teaching and avail themselves in various settings, to meet the ever-changing needs of our patients. Implementing new strategies, for patient specific teaching, will certainly meet resistance, as it will require a commitment from all stakeholders. Nurses provide a valuable service through patient education. The change proposed, within this paper, is specific to the education of patients, in the community, for their on-going health care management. Effective Patient Education Essay

Health literacy is “the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions” (National Network of Libraries in Medicine, 2012, ¶ 1). The National Safety Foundation’s, “Ask Me 3 Health Literacy report states, the health of 90 million people in the U.S. may be at risk because of the difficulty some patients experience in understanding and acting upon health information” (Kirsh, et al, 2011, ¶ 1). “Literacy is one of the strongest predictors of health status. In fact, all of the studies that investigated the issue report that literacy is a stronger predictor of an individual’s health status than income, employment status, education level, and racial or ethnic group” (Weis, 2009, p. 13). Effective Patient Education Essay

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Proposed Change

The “call to educate patients” is certainly not new to health care; in fact, “the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has mandated that client and family education be a part of comprehensive care since 1993.” (Freda, 2004, ¶1). However, patients continue to lack basic health care knowledge competence, strategies for effective implementation of the information, and confidence in self-management. Patient education can help promote well-being through compliance and prompt detection of significant manifestations. Through establishment of community-based educational opportunities and resources, patients, families and caregivers can access, gain knowledge, and build confidence in managing their health care needs. Effective Patient Education Essay

Stakeholders

Patients, families, and caregivers will be able to increase their understanding and working knowledge of health care issues as they navigate through times of wellness and illness. Physicians and Nurse Practitioners will be able to refer patients to the Community-Based Education Project for patient specific plans for educational programs and one-on-one time with a health care educator. The community, at large, will be able to utilize the Community-Based Education Project to strengthen their knowledge and understanding and will find the project to be a useful resource in their lives. Financial supporters would be able to demonstrate their commitment to the community and health and wellness. A project director, designated to oversee the legal and financial aspects of the project, is to be appointed. Health care educators, and support staff, would establish, maintain, and update resources, programs, and access to health information. Effective Patient Education Essay

Strategies for Change

The Community-Based Education Project, depending on the community needs, size, and funding, would be the hub for a variety of educational materials, resources, and educators. The community would access the project, much like a library. Within the facility, computers, books, brochures, and teaching tools are available. A schedule of on-site or telehealth teaching classes will be provide teaching of current health care issues affecting the community. Nurses will be onsite for scheduled appointments for patient-specific teaching. These appointments provide physician-designated teaching strategies, such as anticoagulant or diabetic monitoring and management strategies. I addition, nurses will provide encouragement and support to the community members. Computer animated software programs, internet access to health-related websites and resources, and up-to-date medication information demonstrates the type of education promoted at the site. Effective Patient Education Essay

Barriers & Obstacles

With any change, there is resistance. Marquis & Huston writes, “many forces are driving change in contemporary healthcare, including rising health-care costs, declining reimbursement, workforce shortages, increasing technology, the dynamic nature of knowledge, and a growing elderly population” (2012, p. 163). Financial aspects seem to be the most dramatic barrier or obstacle to implementing the Community-Based Education Project. There are federal, state, and local programs that may be accessible for assisting to fund and maintain the project. Insurance companies often require that patient care and health promotion teaching, as a component to outpatient nursing services, like home health, thus may be willing to provide support. Housing of the Community-Based Education Project could prompt an obstacle to implementation, however each community could determine the best location for their unique needs- some may choose to have the project within the community health department, or as a sub-service of the library, health care institution or facility, even a local church may be willing to house the project. Strategic planning meetings will be conducted, to promote open communication of needs, expectations and to promote awareness. “Whenever possible, all those who may be affected by change should be involved in planning for that change” (Marquis & Huston, p. 171). Anticipating the potential for “abuse” of online services, the project would consider limiting access to networking sites or email accounts, and other sites that are not in keeping with the purpose of the project. Effective Patient Education Essay

Nurses’ Role

Education has been a component of nursing all throughout history. Nurses would serve an integral role of marketing the project and services to physician, hospitals, health promoters, and the community. Nurses would survey the stakeholders of each community to find the most common health care needs and tailor the schedule of events according to those needs. Scheduled appointments would help determine the nursing work force needed to meet the requests for one-on-one education, as well as group opportunities. The nurses would be responsible to report the community involvement, needs, and usefulness of the project to the Project Director (based on the original structure and financial support). Effective Patient Education Essay

Conclusion

A community-based education project would provide on-going teaching to not only patients, families, and caregivers, but it would provide health information and promote wellness within the community that it serves. The change would require the health care community to join forces and support the neighborhoods to which they serve. Making resources available through a variety of media meets various literacy levels, ages, and educational needs may reduce hospitalization, re-hospitalization, and unnecessary emergency department visits.
Patients who have a clear understanding of their after-hospital care instructions, including how to take their medicines and when to make follow-up appointments, are 30 percent less likely to be readmitted or visit the emergency department than patients who lack this information, according to a study funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and published in the February 3, 2009, issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. (Krames, n.d., p. 2) Effective Patient Education Essay
Nurses can efficiently and effectively evaluate, monitor, and provide on-going and pertinent health education to patients. Learning is more readily facilitated, and accepted, in non-threatening environments as well as when they are experiencing less stress. Allowing patients to remain in their community, work with their own schedule, and develop a nurturing and therapeutic relationship with the project nurses will enhance wellness. Effective Patient Education Essay