What Are The Best Methods For Patient Education?

If you follow the Enhanced Recovery approach to healthcare, then you know how important patient education is as part of this system of care. According to Enhanced Recovery protocol, patients are partners in their own healthcare. This protocol stresses patient empowerment, patient choice, and shared-decision making.¹

In order for patients to be partners in their own healthcare and share in the decision-making process, they must be informed about their health status, and understand how to follow through on medical advice. Patient education helps achieve this goal in the following ways:

• Before Surgery. Helps the patient get ready for the procedure or surgery. Patients learn what steps they need to take to be prepared.
• After Surgery. Helps patients recover faster from surgery and with fewer complications. Patients learn what they need to do for optimal outcomes.

Additionally, patient education helps medical providers and physicians meet informed consent requirements when provided before a surgery or procedure.

How To Deliver Patient Education

When it comes to patient education, there are a variety of ways to deliver it to your patients — you can use videos, handouts, verbal instructions, demonstration, and mobile apps. So, what is the best choice? The answer to that question depends on each particular patient and their overall learning style. This may be influenced by culture, age, and other factors. Patient education should be tailored to the individual. No matter what method you choose, patient education should be:

• Easy to access. Make sure patients have access to educational material 24/7. Many patients are anxious when they initially find out that they need a medical procedure or surgery. Having 24/7 access to health education allows patients to learn more about their condition when they are ready.
• Specific to the patient’s needs.Patient education should be customized to each individual patient. When education is tailored to the individual, it increases engagement.
• Taken from reliable sources. Your materials should all come from reliable sources. That way, patients can make informed decisions based on solid clinical information.
• Simple to understand.Approximately half of the adult population in the U.S. has low health literacy.²If the material is too hard to understand or read, patients won’t know how to act on it. Therefore, the information needs to be in “plain language.” Use patient-friendly language when referring to procedures and tests to help improve patient follow-through and promote self-care.
• Easily Sharable.Provide information in a format that patients can easily share with caregivers and family members.

Now that you know the best practices, you can choose a method(s) that is best for your patients. Here is an overview of the various types of patient education delivery methods. 

Hands-On Learning

Through hands-on learning, you teach patients how to do a task through actual practice. This gives the patient and/or the family a chance to learn through experience. Hands-on learning is a practical method that is ideal for tasks like injecting insulin. You can be sure that the patient understands the procedure by having them teach it back to you. Then you can gauge whether or not the patient truly understands the material.

If you work in a fast-paced acute care setting, then hands-on learning may not be the most practical way to provide patient education. In that case, you might try some of the other methods referenced below.

Videos

Videos are an efficient way to engage patients. Patients are already used to accessing entertainment and information via video. In fact, more adults watch YouTube videos than any other single television network in any given month. Videos are effective and relatable.  Real-life examples can be used to demonstrate procedures. Research indicates that this is an effective way of educating patients — they are more likely to act on medical advice that they watch via video. One study found that patients were more than 16 times more likely to recall medical advice given to them via a video than other types of platforms.³

Also, thanks to the widespread availability of internet-connected smartphones and tablets and wi-fi, it is easy for patients to access videos online 24/7. Plus, videos can be watched over and over again. Videos are also an efficient way of educating patients. Demonstrating certain procedures like how to change wound dressings can be quite time-consuming, especially if you have to perform these demonstrations over-and-over again. You can use videos to efficiently educate patients on how to perform these procedures.

Mobile Apps

The popularity of mobile smartphone and tablet use has skyrocketed in recent years. The good news is that you can leverage the power of technology to deliver patient education. Plus, mobile apps can be used to deliver a variety of health information to patients. Some health systems allow patients to download lab results, view their medical records, schedule appointments, and more via a mobile app. This is convenient for patients who are tech-savvy as it allows them to access their medical information all in one place. They can log blood sugar levels and view educational videos about diabetes on an app. This makes personalized health management easier than ever.

Patient Handouts

Certain patients, especially older seniors, may not be ready to engage with apps or other newer forms of patient education. Many don’t have the skills, experience, or access to digital technology to use web-based educational apps and material. They are less likely to feel capable of going online to obtain health information, and thus less likely to follow through on accessing needed health education and information when it is presented in this manner. The prevalence of chronic health conditions is higher among this demographic. Therefore, obtaining high-quality health education is vital. For these patients, handouts are a great way to provide patient education.

References:

1. https://aserhq.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/implemtation-guide-9-9-16.pdf
2. https://health.gov/communication/literacy/quickguide/factsbasic.htm
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2697041/
4. https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-018-2986-0