4.15:
Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching II: Planning and Implementation
Following assessment and diagnosis, planning and implementation are the next two steps in the nursing process.
Planning involves setting goals and outcomes.
Here, goals identify what a patient needs to achieve to understand a healthcare topic, whereas the outcome is the actions the patient performs to achieve the goal within the allotted time.
For example, if the goal is to educate the patient about insulin administration, the expected outcome is that the patient learns to self-administer insulin before discharge.
After identifying the goals and outcomes, nurses must decide on the content for teaching.
Once the content is selected, nurses must conduct an in-depth research on the subject and choose teaching methods by considering the patient's age, developmental stage, and literacy level.
To prevent interruptions during teaching, nurses must prepare the learning materials in advance.
The next step is implementation, which requires both interpersonal and communication skills.
Nurses must ensure that the teaching environment is comfortable and well-lit with adequate privacy.
During teaching, nurses should maintain warm gestures and use various teaching strategies to gain the attention and participation of the patient.
4.15:
Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching II: Planning and Implementation
Planning for learning involves the development of a teaching plan. Teaching plans are similar to nursing care plans—both follow the steps of the nursing process. Planning in the teaching process involves setting goals and outcomes. Here, goals identify what a patient needs to achieve to understand a healthcare topic better, whereas the outcomes are the action to be performed by the patient to achieve the goal within a timeframe. For example, if the goal is to educate the patient about insulin administration, the expected outcome is that the patient learns to self-administer insulin before discharge.
After writing the learning outcomes, deciding the content for teaching is essential. First, the nurse must thoroughly research the topic by reviewing content in journal articles and manuals in books or online. The nurse then decides on the teaching strategies that best suit the patient by considering age, developmental level, or literacy level. Teaching strategies, including discussions or demonstrations, can be used. Arrange the learning materials before teaching to avoid distractions.
The next step after planning is implementation, which requires interpersonal and communication skills. The teaching environment should be comfortable, which is achieved by:
- • providing adequate lighting and privacy.
- • maintaining warm gestures.
- • assessing the patient's existing knowledge.
- • using various teaching strategies to gain attention and invite active patient participation.