Purpose
The purpose of this Patient Teaching Project is to develop a patient teaching plan and create a visual teaching tool aimed at promoting health and preventing disease for a specified patient population.
Directions
This Teaching Plan is Part 1 of the Patient Teaching Project. You will use this Patient Teaching Plan to create a Visual Teaching Tool in Part 2 of this project.
Patient Teaching Plan
Medication Safety at Home
The number of older people in the US is growing rapidly given that the majority of baby boomers are now retiring from their active lives. The increasing number of the aged is likely to burden and stretch the healthcare sector hence the need for people to make healthcare a personal issue. Patients should be fully involved in their care process by actively having shared responsibility of ensuring their wellbeing. Therefore, the aged will be required to self-administer some drugs as part of their care process. However, adverse drug events are a major “public health problem resulting in over 700,000 emergency department visits yearly…35% of older adults experience adverse drug events and this does not account for medication-related problems that can lead to increased morbidity and mortality such as dizziness, falls, and confusion” (LeBlanc & Choi, 2015, p. 313). As such, the elderly are at a very high risk of experiencing adverse health outcomes due to the wrong or poor usage of drugs at home; hence, the need for them to be taught on the best ways to address this problem by handling medications with care and using them according to the directions provided. Mickelson and Holden (2018) agree that medication errors are some of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among patients. This assertion underscores the importance of this topic for patient education.
Population
I am planning to teach elderly individuals living in their own homes or apartments. The focus will be mainly on elderly people living alone or with their family members, which increases the chances of them self-medicating without the help of anyone else.
Barriers
The major barrier to learning for this population is the deteriorating mental capacity due to age-related factors and other health issues. For instance, they might not be in a position to easily comprehend and follow what is being taught. They might also lose interest quickly, which become a major problem to effective learning. According to Beagley (2011), the elderly are among the individuals with low literacy levels due to reduced cognitive functions and competence. In addition, the elderly might have sight and hearing problems due to their age, which affect their learning capability.
To address these barriers, I would design my Visual Teaching Tool in a way that allows interaction. Instead, of giving out instructions to the target learners, I would ensure that the learning experience is interactional. I would also use large fonts and brightly colored images to address the problem of poor eyesight.
Settings
- Where do you plan to utilize your Visual Teaching Tool?
- I plan to use my Visual Teaching Tool at a local health fair.
- Will you be teaching one-on-one, in small groups, or to a large crowd?
- I will teach in small groups to ensure that the learning is effective.
Learning objectives
- At the end of this education, the learner will be able to identify the importance of following medication instructions.
- At the end of this education, the learner will be able to demonstrate how to keep medication safe.
- At the end of this education, the learner will be able to demonstrate the importance of asking the right questions concerning their medications.
Evaluating
I will evaluate the effectiveness and success of my visual teaching tool by asking questions at the end of the learning session. For instance, I would ask questions, such as: – what is the importance of following medication instructions. I would also ask – what is the importance of asking the right questions concerning your medications? What are some of the questions that you can ask nurses or the prescribing authority concerning your drugs?
References
Beagley, L. (2011). Educating patients: understanding barriers, learning styles, and teaching techniques. Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, 26(5), 331-337.
LeBlanc, R. G., & Choi, J. (2015). Optimizing medication safety in the home. Home Healthcare Now, 33(6), 313-319.
Mickelson, R. S., & Holden, R. J. (2018). Medication adherence: Staying within the boundaries of safety. Ergonomics, 61(1), 82-103.