Health Education: Prelims

• Nursing was first acknowledged as a unique discipline, the responsibility for teaching has been recognized as an important role of nurses as caregivers.
• Nursing focuses on the care of the sick and on promotion of health of the well public, but also on educating other nurses for professional practice.
• Florence Nightingale was the Ultimate health educator in the history of nursing education who devoted a large portion of her career to teaching nurses, physicians, and health officials about the importance of proper conditions in hospitals and homes to improve the health of people.
• Florence Nightingale emphasizes the importance of teaching patients the need for adequate nutrition, fresh air, exercise, & personal hygiene.
• Evaluation in health education involves assessing the effectiveness of the health education plan.
• Implementation in health education involves putting the health education plan into action.
• Health education is a process that includes the following components: needs assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation, and sustainability.
• Needs assessment in health education involves identifying the health needs of the target population and determining the best course of action to address those needs.
• Public health nurses in the early 1900s clearly understood the significance of the role of the nurse as teacher in preventing disease and in maintaining the health of society.
• Sustainability in health education involves maintaining the health benefits of the target population after the health education intervention has ended.
• the adoption of healthy behaviors, as well as the rejection of unhealthy behaviors, by an individual or a group.
• Planning in health education involves developing a strategy to address the health needs of the target population.
• Patient teaching has been recognized as an independent nursing function.
• Nurses have always educated others – patients, families, and colleagues.
• Public health nurses care for entire populations, educating people about health issues, improving community health, and promoting safety and increasing access to care.
• The National League of Nursing Education (NLNE) in the US, now the National League for Nursing (NLN), observed the importance of health teaching as a function within the scope of nursing practice in 1918.
• The National League of Nursing Education identified course content in nursing school curricula to prepare nurses to assume the role as teachers of others in 1950.
• The Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) exam was developed by the National League for Nursing (NLN) to raise “the visibility and status of the academic nurse educator role as an advanced professional practice discipline with a defined practice setting”.
• The American Nurses Association (ANA) put forth statements on the functions, standards, and qualifications for nursing practice, of which patient teaching is a key element.
• The International Council of Nurses (ICN) long endorsed the nurse’s role as educator to be an essential component of nursing care delivery.
• When it is not medically advisable to give such information to the patient, the information should be provided to appropriate family members.
• The patient has the right, within the law and military regulations, to privacy and confidentiality concerning medical care.
• The patient has the right to considerate and respectful care, including effective pain management, with recognition of his/her personal dignity.
• The patient has the right to care and treatment in a safe environment.
• The patient has the right to refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law and government regulations, and to be informed of the consequences of his/her refusal.
• The patient has the right to an explanation concerning his/her diagnosis, treatment, procedures, and prognosis of illness in terms the patient can be expected to understand.
• The patient has the right to be advised if the facility proposes to engage in or perform research associated with his/her care or treatment.
• The Joint Commission (JC) formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) established nursing standards for patient education as early as 1993.
• Parents/legal guardians will be afforded the right to be informed of the identity of health care personnel, an explanation of care, including diagnosis, treatment and prognosis, and the right to refuse treatment for the patient to the extent permitted by law.
• Pediatric patients will be provided the same rights to medical care, respectful treatment, confidentiality, and a safe environment and privacy.
• All Nurse Practice Acts (NPAs) include teaching within the scope of nursing practice responsibilities.
• The patient has the right to be informed of the facilities’ rules and regulations that relate to patient or visitor conduct.
• The patient has the right to be advised in non-clinical terms of information needed to make knowledgeable decisions on consent or refusal for treatment.
• The patient has the right to know, at all times, the identity, professional status, and professional credentials of health care personnel, as well as the name of the health care personnel, and the name of the health care provider primarily responsible for his/her care.
• The shift in the role of the nurse from one wise healer to expert advisor/teacher to facilitator of change occurred in the 1980’s.
• Nurses, by legal mandates of the NPAs, are expected to provide instruction to consumers to assist them to maintain optimal levels of wellness and manage illness.
• Nursing career ladders often incorporate teaching Effectiveness as a measure of excellence in practice.
• The Patient’s Bill of Rights, first developed in the 1970s by the American Hospital Association, has been adopted by hospitals nationwide.
• The Patient’s Bill of Rights establishes the guidelines to ensure that patients receive complete and current information concerning their diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis in terms they can reasonably be expected to understand.
• Clinical educators actively engage students to become competent and caring professionals.