This nursing diagnosis recognizes a patient’s need for guidance and information about a new medical condition.
Education about an illness or change in physical status is essential for the patient outcome and adjustment to his or her new situation. Without the necessary insight on how to manage a new condition, patient care is incomplete.
Nurses have to consider the patient’s demographic, mental and physical condition, and limitations when developing a teaching plan.
A baseline of the patient’s knowledge provides an excellent way to develop a starting point of a teaching plan without overwhelming the patient. This way, the nurse can clearly recognize which topics to address first.
Sudden changes in a person’s health and hospitalization are factors that affect the ability to absorb and process information. It is important to consider timing in the teaching process and adapt to the patient’s situation and their perception of that.
Patients might have difficulty learning because of mental or physical handicaps or economic disadvantages such as literacy. This information allows for individualizing the care plan.
There are different ways to learn the same information. The learning style of your patient determines the use of specific teaching and learning materials to facilitate learning.
As mentioned above, different learning materials will help your patient absorb information easier. Studying with various media and seeing the information in different ways makes it easier to retain information.
Questions allow the patient to participate in the learning process. It means that the patient is engaging in the material and shows interest in wanting to learn. By asking questions, the patient participates in his or her care and lets the healthcare team know what topics to address next.
Unfamiliar environments and uncertainty about a new health diagnosis can be intimidating and discourage a patient from engaging in learning. Feeling welcomed helps the patient to open up and feel more comfortable. The patient will be more honest about his or her emotions and knowledge, which will provide a more effective teaching plan.
Teaching too much material at once might overwhelm the patient and subsequently discourage the individual. A step by step approach allows for time to review the content and practice. It also provides for clarifying questions before moving on to the next step.
If the patient is not receptive to the education plan and teaching methods, they should be adjusted and personalized. It will be easier for the patient to study information when taught in his or her learning style. The patient will be able to process information much easier and stay motivated to learn.
It is important to provide positive feedback while the patient performs the skills and during teaching sessions. Consistent, encouraging feedback keeps patients motivated and shows them that they are making progress.
The most crucial part is that the patient understands the new situation and treatment. Therefore, it is critical to inquire about feedback regularly to make adjustments to personalize the plan of care further.
One effective method and precise way to know whether the patient understands the learned information is to demonstrate it and have the patient demonstrate the skill to the teacher. It is beneficial to have the patient perform the skill in an environment with immediate feedback for better learning. It also makes the patient feel more comfortable to have someone present to guide them throughout the learning process.
Being able to have resources to refer back to is crucial when it comes to retaining information. Having material available allows patients to study the information on their own time.
A sense of community gives patients hope that other people can live with the diagnosis or condition and motivates them to continue to educate themselves about the disease process.
Ackley, B., & Ladwig, G. (2014). Nursing diagnosis handbook (10th ed.). Maryland Heights: Mosby Elsevier.
Gulanick, M., & Myers, J. (2014). Nursing care plans (8th ed.). Elsevier.
