Sub Tracks: Aesthetic/Cosmetic Nurse, Ambulatory Care Nurse, Hospice Nurse, Nurse Care Coordinator, Postpartum Nurse, Burn Care Nurse, ICU Nurse, Nurse Case Manager, Preoperative Nurse, Cardiac Nurse
The resident should develop attitudes that:Recognize patient education as critical to the practice of family medicine and an essential component of every patient encounter.
Recognize the importance of educational interventions in disease treatment and health maintenance.
Recognize the physician’s responsibility to educate the patient and family.
In issues involving informed consent, emphasize the importance of educating the patient and/or responsible parties.
Recognize the significance of assessing a patient’s educational needs, readiness to learn, and information comprehension.
Recognize that cultural differences influence health beliefs and that patient education must account for these differences.
Take advantage of the opportunity to use “teachable moments” in a patient-physician encounter.
Recognize the importance of involving the patient in decision-making.
Recognize the value of a long-term, trusting doctor-patient relationship in influencing behavior change.
Promote the physician’s role in influencing community health by participating in community education projects.
Skills
Basic skills
Determine the patient’s educational requirements:
Collect data on the patient’s daily activities, knowledge, health beliefs, and level of comprehension.
Education should be tailored to the patient’s educational level and cultural background.
Inform the patient of the findings in a clear and concise manner.
Treatment plans should be discussed in terms of specific behaviors.
Encourage questions and respond appropriately.
Use suitable written, audio-visual, and computer-based materials.
Implementation:
To set an example for residents, each family practice residency program should ensure that faculty and Patient education is a crucial component of every patient interaction for preceptors who give direct patient care. Faculty should demonstrate their dedication to patient education by incorporating patient education issues into direct resident teaching and presenting. Ongoing discussions of individual cases during rounds and presenting should include questions about educational issues.
