Physicians used to be responsible for educating patients and assisting them in taking control of their own health, but today nurses take on the majority of this duty. Patients must be aware of their condition and take steps to avoid or lessen complications from any chronic illnesses if they are to actively participate in their own care.
Nursing care includes educating patients on various topics. The effectiveness of the nurse's guidance and support has a significant impact on the success of the individual, whether she is instructing a new mother on how to bathe a newborn child or an adult who is managing a chronic illness. Here are some strategies that could be useful to you as you help your patients deal with their health issues.
Find out the patient's learning preferences
Numerous techniques may be used to deliver information that is similar. In fact, delivering education through various modalities strengthens teaching. Patients learn in a variety of ways. Find out if your patient learns better by reading or watching a DVD. The best method is typically a hands-on one where the patient gets to perform a procedure under your supervision. When using written materials, gently assess your patient's reading and comprehension skills. Many intelligent, highly functional adults are unable to understand and apply the instruction despite their intelligence.
Consider the patient's strengths and limitations
Does the patient's physical, mental, or emotional health or well-being affect their capacity to learn? Large print resources might be required for some patients. Furthermore, rather than relying solely on spoken instruction if the patient is deaf, visual materials and hands-on techniques ought to be used. Asking patients to explain what you've taught them should always be done. Often, even when they haven't really heard or understood what is being said, people will nod "yes" or claim to understand what is being taught. Consider factors like patient fatigue and the shock of receiving a dire diagnosis when providing patient education.
Ask questions
Prior to a patient leaving your care, it is advisable to ask them some specific questions. This is done to determine whether they are capable of using the techniques once they are discharged from a hospital. A patient can express their ideas and concerns by answering open-ended questions. If they don't have all the information they need to continue their treatment at home, you'll be able to tell if they're missing anything crucial.
Inspire Interest in Your Patient
Instant gratification is what adult learners seek. Understanding what matters to each patient, in particular, requires practice. Relationship building, questioning, and taking into account particular patient concerns are crucial. For instance, some patients might demand in-depth information on every facet of their medical condition. Others may only want "the facts," and they would fare better with a straightforward checklist.
Invite family members
Including family members in patient instruction increases the likelihood that what you've taught will be put to use. You will frequently be the one giving the majority of the instruction to the family. Families are essential to the management of health care. For instance, when giving advice to the families of elderly patients who don't eat well, emphasize the significance of eating with others. It is insufficient for a family member to merely offer a nutritious meal. According to studies, the people a person eats with and the setting in which they eat both directly affect how much food they consume.
Building and leading teams that can provide high-quality patient care requires the expertise of nurses. The patient-provider dynamic can be directly impacted by a nurse's patient education skills, with positive outcomes.
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