Midterm

• Patient education has long been considered a major component in the repertoire of standard care-giving by the nurse
• The role of the nurse as educator is deeply entrenched in the heritage and development of the profession
• Since the mid-1800s, when nursing was first acknowledged as a unique discipline, the responsibility for teaching has been recognized as an important healthcare initiative assumed by nurses
• The focus of teaching efforts by nurses was not only on the care of the sick, but also on educating other nurses for professional practice
• Florence Nightingale


  The founder of modern nursing, was the ultimate educator
• Nightingale developed the first school of nursing and devoted a large portion of her career to educating those involved in the delivery of health care
• Nightingale taught nurses, physicians, and health officials about the importance of proper conditions in hospitals and homes to assist patients in maintaining adequate nutrition, fresh air, exercise, and personal hygiene to improve their well-being
• By the early 1900s, public health nurses clearly understood the significance of education in the prevention of disease and in the maintenance of health
• For decades, patient teaching has been recognized as an independent nursing function
• Nurses have always educated others-patients, families, and colleagues-and it is from these roots that nurses have expanded their practice to include the broader concepts of health and illness
• As early as 1918, the National League of Nursing Education (NLNE) in the United States [now the National League for Nursing (NLN)] observed the importance of health teaching as a function within the scope of nursing practice
• The NLNE recognized the responsibility of nurses for the promotion of health and the prevention of illness in such settings as schools, homes, hospitals, and industries
• Two decades later, the NLNE declared that a nurse was fundamentally a teacher and an agent of health regardless of the setting in which practice occurred
• By 1950, the NLNE had identified course content dealing with teaching skills, developmental and educational psychology, and principles of the educational process of teaching and learning as areas in the curriculum common to all nursing schools
• The implication was that nurses were to be prepared, upon graduation from their basic nursing program, to assume the role as teacher of others
• The American Nurses Association has for years promulgated statements on the functions, standards, and qualifications for nursing practice, of which patient teaching is an integral aspect
• The International Council of Nurses has long endorsed education for health as an essential requisite of nursing care delivery
• Today, state nurse practice acts (NPAs) universally include teaching within the scope of nursing practice responsibilities
• Nurses are expected to provide instruction to consumers to assist them to maintain optimal levels of wellness, prevent disease, manage illness, and develop skills to give supportive care to family members
• Nursing career ladders often incorporate teaching effectiveness as a measure of excellence in practice
• In 1995, the Pew Health Professions Commission, influenced by the dramatic changes currently surrounding health care, published a broad set of competencies that it believes will mark the success of the health professions in the twenty-first century
• Recommendations to the health professions proposed by the Pew Health Professions Commission


  • 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
• Over time, the role of the nurse as educator has undergone a paradigm shift
• Disease-oriented patient education (DOPE)


  The provider teaching role that once was a disease-oriented approach
• Prevention-oriented patient education (POPE)


  The provider teaching role that evolved to a more prevention-oriented approach
• Health-oriented patient education (HOPE)


  The provider teaching role that is now focused on the promotion and maintenance of health
• This metamorphosis has changed the role of educator from one of wise healer to expert advisor/teacher to facilitator of change
• The role of today's educator is one of "training the trainer"—that is, preparing nursing staff through continuing education, in-service programs, and staff development to maintain and improve their clinical skills and teaching abilities
• The purpose of patient education is to increase the competence and confidence of clients for self-management
• The goal of patient education is to support patients through the transition from being invalids to being independent in care; from being dependent recipients to being involved participants in the care process; and from being passive listeners to active learners
• Benefits of patient education

  • Increase consumer satisfaction
  • Improve quality of life
  • Ensure continuity of care
  • Decrease patient anxiety
  • Effectively reduce the incidence of complications of illness
  • Promote adherence to healthcare treatment plans
  • Maximize independence in the performance of activities of daily living
  • Energize and empower consumers to become actively involved in the planning of their care
• The purpose of staff education is to increase the competence and confidence of nurses to function independently in providing quality care to the consumer
• Nurses play a key role in improving the nation's health, and they recognize the importance of lifelong learning to keep their knowledge and skills current
• The primary aims as educators should be to nourish clients as well as mentor staff, and to value education and make it a priority for both patients and fellow colleagues
• Education process


  A systematic, sequential, planned course of action consisting of two major interdependent operations, teaching and learning
• The education process, like the nursing process, consists of the basic elements of assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation
• Teaching


  A deliberate intervention that involves the planning and implementation of instructional activities and experiences to meet intended learner outcomes according to a teaching plan
• Instruction


  A component of teaching that involves the communicating of information about a specific skill in the cognitive, psychomotor, or affective domain
• Learning


  A change in behavior (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) that can occur at any time or in any place as a result of exposure to environmental stimuli
• The success of the nurse educator's endeavors at teaching is measured not by how much content has been imparted, but rather by how much the person has learned