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1. Patient and
Family Education
Ahmad Thanin

2. Definition
• The process of preparing patient
and/or family to meet self care
needs and assume responsibility
for care provided during
hospitalization and out-patient
visits’

3. Patient Teaching purpose
To identify
patient/family
educational
needs
To facilitate
understanding of
the patient
health status
and care options
To increase their
potential to
follow a
therapeutic
health care plan
To promote a
healthy patient
lifestyle

4. Overview
Patient and family education helps patients better participate in their care and
make informed care decisions.
Education takes place when the patient interacts with his or her physician(s) or
the nurse(s).
Others provide education as they provide specific services, such as rehabilitation
or nutrition therapy, or prepare the patient for discharge and continuing care.
Because many staff help educate patients and families, it is important that staff
members coordinate their activities and focus on what patients need to learn

5. Steps to
Patient
Education -
Ongoing
assessment of
• The Do-Know-Deficit
• What do they have to do?
• What do they need to know in order to do it?
• What do they already know?
Learning needs
• Written materials
• Verbal discussion
• Video
• Practice
• Demonstration
Learning preferences

6. Steps to Patient
Education -
Ongoing
assessment of
Barriers to Learning
• Reading difficulty
• Writing difficulty
• Language/Cultural
• Cognition
• Religious
• Impaired vision
• Impaired hearing
• Financial
Readiness to Learn
• Physical (pain, fatigue, etc.)
• Emotional (anxiety, depression, etc.)
• Lacks motivation
• Unreceptive
Effectiveness of Education

7. Teaching Tips
Sit down to be at eye level with your patient.
Start with basic information.
Keep it simple.
Teach what the learner needs to know.
Make teaching interactive. Ask questions that
require more than a yes or no answer.
Use teaching aids.
Include family members/caregivers when possible.
Ask patient to teach back.

8. Five strategies for patient education success
Take advantage of
educational
technology
1
Determine the
patient’s learning
style
2
Stimulate the
patient’s interest
3
Consider the
patient’s
limitations and
strengths
4
Include family
members in
health care
management
5

9. Take Advantage of Educational Technology
Technology has made patient education materials more accessible.
Educational resources can be customized and printed out for patients with the
touch of a button.
Make sure the patient’s individualized needs are addressed.
Don't simply hand the patient a stack of papers to read, review them with patients
to ensure they understand the instructions and answer questions that arise.
Some resources are available in several languages.

10. Determine the patient’s learning style
Similar information may be provided by a range of techniques.
In fact, providing education using different modalities reinforces teaching.
Patients have different learning styles so ask if your patient learns best by
watching a DVD or by reading.
A hands-on approach where the patient gets to perform a procedure with your
guidance is often the best method.

11. Stimulate the patient’s interest
It's essential that patients understand why this is important.
Establish rapport, ask and answer questions, and consider specific patient
concerns.
Some patients may want detailed information about every aspect of their
health condition while others may want just the facts and do better with a
simple checklist.

12. Consider the patient’s limitations and
strengths
Does the patient have physical,
mental, or emotional
impairments that impact the
ability to learn?
Some patients may need large
print materials and if the
patient is hearing impaired, use
visual materials and hands on
methods instead of simply
providing verbal instruction.
Always have patients explain
what you taught them.
Often people will nod “yes” or
say that they comprehend what
is taught even if they have not
really heard or understood.
Consider factors such as fatigue
and the shock of learning a
critical diagnosis when
educating patients.

13. Include family members in health care
management
Involving family members
in patient teaching
improves the chances that
your instructions will be
followed.
In many cases, you will be
providing most of the
instruction to family
members.
Families play a critical role
in health care
management.

14. Patient Teaching
Record
• The Patient Teaching Record is
used to facilitate the
documentation of teaching
activities, the assessment of
learning needs and assessment
of patient/family responses

15. Patient Assessment
PHYSICAL NEEDS
• What kind of care
will the patient
need at home i.e.,
care or themselves
or support is
needed?
• Can the patient
hear clearly or read
small printed
materials?
AGE
• Choose language
and teaching
methods
appropriate for the
patients age and
educational level
SUPPORT SYSTEM
• Assess not only the
patient but also
anyone involved in
the patients’ care,
Especially if a
family
member/significant
other is the
caregiver after
discharge.
FEELINGS
• Assess if the
patient is having
difficulty accepting
their condition
• They may feel
overwhelmed,
afraid, angry or
depressed
• This may affect the
patient’s readiness
or ability to learn

16. Patient Assessment
• Beliefs about health and illness
• Response to health care recommendations
CULTURAL & RELIGIOUS PRACTICES THAT MAY INFLUENCE THE PATIENT
• Patients‘ reading level and ability to learn
• Ability to understand English
• Financial and/or insurance coverage for durable medical equipment , supplies and medications
OTHER NEEDS

17. Make the teaching process interactive
Ask questions that require more than a “yes” or “no”
answer, for example:
• How was your morning?
• Tell me something about your morning?”
• rather than “Are you feeling, okay?”
This can help give you a clear understanding of the
patient’s condition.

18. Set goals & agree on
responsibilities
• Involving the patient in decisions
about their care can help build
motivation
• It can also help you get to know the
patient better
The Patients responsibilities
may include:
• Giving you accurate health
information
• Following instructions
• Asking questions when something
isn’t clear

19. The health care
providers’
responsibilities
include:
Explain the care you provide
Answer questions
Treat the patient with respect
Ensure the education is given in the primary language of the patient
Evaluate your learner;-- to ensure that he/she understands the instructions you
provide.
Ask for feedback.
Encourage the patient to ask questions and share any concerns
Have the patient repeat instructions to be sure he/she understand them

20. Expectations of
Education
Patient and family education
includes the following topics,
related to the patient’s care:
• the safe use of medications
• the safe use of medical equipment
• potential interactions between
medications and food
• guidance
• pain management
• rehabilitation techniques

21. IDEAL Discharge Planning
Include the patient and family as full partners in the discharge planning process
Discuss with the patient and family five key areas to prevent problems at home:
• Describe what life at home will be like
• Review medications
• Highlight warning signs and problems
• Explain test results
• Make followup appointments
Educate the patient and family in plain language about the patient’s condition, the discharge process, and next steps at
every opportunity throughout the hospital stay
Assess how well doctors and nurses explain the diagnosis, condition, and next steps in the patient’s care to the patient and
family and use teach back.
Listen to and honor the patient and family’s goals, preferences, observations, and concerns.

22. Include the patient and family as full partners in
the discharge planning process.
Always include the
patient and family in
team meetings about
discharge.
1
Remember that discharge
is not a one-time event
but a process that takes
place throughout the
hospital stay.
2
Identify which family or
friends will provide care
at home and include
them in conversations
3

23. Discuss with the patient and family five key areas
to prevent problems at home.
Describe what life at home will be like. Include the home environment, support needed, what the patient can or cannot eat, and activities to do or
avoid.
Review medications.
•Use a reconciled medication list to discuss the purpose of each medicine
•how much to take
•how to take it
•potential side effects.
Highlight warning signs and problems.
•Identify warning signs or potential problems.
•Write down the name and contact information of someone to call if there is a problem.
Explain test results.
•Explain test results to the patient and family.
•If test results are not available at discharge, let the patient and family know when they should get the results and identify who they should call if they have not gotten results by that
date.
Make follow-up appointments.
•Offer to make follow-up appointments for the patient.
•Make sure that the patient and family know what followup is needed.

24. Educate the patient and family in plain language about the patient’s condition,
the discharge process, and next steps at every opportunity throughout the
hospital stay.
Getting all the information on the day of discharge can be overwhelming. Discharge
planning should be an ongoing process throughout the stay, not a one-time event. You can:
• Elicit patient and family goals at admission and note progress toward those goals each
day
• Involve the patient and family in bedside shift report or bedside rounds
• Share a written list of medicines every morning
• Go over medicines at each administration: What it is for, how much to take, how to take
it, and side effects
• Encourage the patient and family to take part in care practices to support their
competence and confidence in caregiving at home

25. Assess how well doctors and nurses explain the diagnosis, condition, and
next steps in the patient’s care to the patient and family and use teach
back.
Provide information to the
patient and family in small
chunks and repeat key pieces
of information throughout the
hospital stay
1
Ask the patient and family to
repeat what you said back to
you in their own words to be
sure that you explained things
well
2

26. Listen to and honor the patient and
family’s goals, preferences,
observations, and concerns.
Invite the patient and family to use the white board in their room to write
questions or concerns
Ask open-ended questions to elicit questions and concerns.
Use Be Prepared to Go Home Checklist and Booklet as per facility guidelines
to make sure the patient and family feel prepared to go home
Schedule at least one meeting specific to discharge planning with the patient and
family caregivers

27. Successful Education of Patients, Families and
Caregivers requires knowledge of
Subject Matter
(nursing/healthcare
expertise)
The Nursing
Process (patient-
centered approach)
The
Teaching/Learning
Process