Patient Education Competencies in 1995: Pew Health Professions Commission

Milestones in Patient Education

• In 1995, the Pew Health Professions Commission published competencies for the success of health professions in the 21st century, with over half focusing on patient and staff education and the nurse's role as educator.

Competencies

• Provide clinically competent and coordinated care to the public
• Involve patients and their families in the decision-making process regarding health interventions
• Provide clients with education and counseling on ethical issues
• Expand public access to effective care
• Ensure cost-effective and appropriate care for the consumer
• Provide for prevention of illness and promotion of healthy lifestyles for all Americans

Paradigm Shift

• The teaching role has evolved from a disease-oriented approach to a more prevention-oriented approach, focusing on teaching for the promotion and maintenance of health.

Integration into Comprehensive Plan of Care

• In the 1980s, greater recognition was given to client education as a healthcare activity, leading to the integration of patient education into comprehensive plans of care.

Delineation of Standards

• By 1933, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) delineated nursing standards for patient education, which are based on descriptions of positive outcomes of patient care.
• These standards require teaching activities by nurses that are patient- and family-oriented.

Patient Education as a Right

• By the 1970s, the American Hospital Association established the rights of patients to receive complete and current information concerning diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis in terms they can reasonably be expected to understand.

Evolution of the Role

• The role of the nurse educator has evolved from wise healer to expert advisor/teacher to facilitator of change, with an emphasis on empowering patients to use their potentials, abilities, and resources to the fullest.
• The role has transitioned "from disease-oriented patient education (DOPE) to prevention-oriented patient education (POPE) to ultimately become health-oriented patient education (HOPE)".