Areas of Patient Education In Health Care and Nursing

Health Care and Nursing and Areas of Patient Education

Areas of Patient Education, Specific Population With Special Needs In Health Care and Nursing Education.

Areas of Patient Education

    Patient education is increasingly differentiated by goal and by population group. Preparation for self management of chronic disease is the most clearly differentiated, requiring the patient to develop significant clinical judgment and confidence. 

    Though educational models exist for many common chronic diseases (diabetes, asthma, arthritis), mental illness has lagged, presumably based on the assumption that disturbed thought patterns would preclude learning self-management skills. 

    A second area is education to assist with event management a diagnostic test, surgical or obstetrical intervention, and hospitalization. 

    A third area is the screening and monitoring function, for everyday symptoms and for breast, testicular, or skin self-examinations. 

    A fourth area is care giving of others. A fifth is newly emerging-helping patients and families understand the basis for ethical decisions such as brain death, futility, randomization in research studies, or informed consent to participate. 

    In all of these areas, the goal of patient education is development of patient competence, confidence, and self trust in their ability to carry out health behaviors consistent with their life plan.

Specific Population With Special Needs In Health Care and Nursing Education

1:Those whose limited health literacy keeps them from being able to carry out ordinary health actions including taking medicine as directed.

2:Those whose health problems have a strong genetic base, who must understand the partial technologies of genetic testing in order to make good decisions.

3:Those whose cultural beliefs vary from assumptions of Western medicine.

4:Those with memory loss or thought disorders, who need special help to learn.

5:Those who have been oppressed by other individuals, groups, or society so that they do not trust their ability to make decisions.

6:Others such as children.

    Some of these areas of patient education and special patient needs have long been recognized, and there is little new in the approach to them. Direction about how to deal with them may be found in standard texts in the field. Sections of this book document advances believed by the author to be on the cutting edge of new developments in patient education.