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## Chapter 2: Patient Education ### Demands on Nurses' Time and an Increasing Number of Patients * Initial patient education often takes place during the highly stressful stage of their illness. * Education takes place over time in a variety of formats. * Nurses, both in the hospital setting an...

## Chapter 2: Patient Education ### Demands on Nurses' Time and an Increasing Number of Patients * Initial patient education often takes place during the highly stressful stage of their illness. * Education takes place over time in a variety of formats. * Nurses, both in the hospital setting and out in the community, are not only the primary source of information for people adjusting to health problems, but also often in the role of clarifying information provided by physicians, other health care providers, and other sources, including the internet and social media. ### Patient-Centred Approach to Patient Education * Nurses help patients actively participate in their education and better self-manage their needs and care with the support of providers across health care settings. * For nurses to be effective patient educators, they require competence in essential domains of nursing education: * knowledge * critical inquiry * communication and collaboration * professionalism, and * leadership * Nurses use both the art and science of nursing to provide professional care to their patients, be they individuals, families, or groups. * Critical thinking skills and the best evidence available are required. * Nurses regularly communicate and collaborate with other members of the health care team to provide patient-centered education to a diverse patient population. * Nurses often assume a leadership role in health education. ### The Public's Increasing Influence * Over the past couple of decades, the public has become more assertive in seeking knowledge about health and wellness. * More resources are available via social media and the internet, making them more actively involved in finding resources available within the health care system. * Internet and other forms of technology (telehealth, eHealth) provide nurses and patients with vast amounts of information, some reliable and some not. * Patients need guidance regarding the selection of current, reliable resources. * Nurses must be able to discuss with patients the criteria for evaluating the validity and reliability of information sources. ### Nurses' Role in Patient Education * Nurses educate patients on the use of social media and technology as a medium for obtaining health information related to health promotion and illness prevention. * Nurses facilitate the self-management of individual health needs. * Teaching material provided by nurses must honour the copyright rules and must reference both written information and illustrations that are used to support patient learning. ### Evidence-Based Practice in Education * As a nurse providing patient education, you will need to be mindful of the increasing emphasis on scientific evidence and the diminished focus on other kinds of evidence for the efficacy or effectiveness of therapeutic interventions. * Nurses should also have a broad perspective on what constitutes meaningful evidence to support the significance of testimonials, lived experiences, and other ways of knowing. * Critical thinking is essential in nursing care, but remember that knowledge is limited, beliefs change, and conclusions are temporary. * A well-designed, comprehensive teaching plan that meets a learner's needs can improve quality of care, help patients gain optimal wellness, increase their independence, and reduce health care costs.