- Introduction
- Importance of Patient Education and Patient’s Health Condition Background
- Patient Education Influences Health Condition Management At Home
- Patient’s Culture and Religion Consideration in Patient Education
- Dietary and Physical Exercise Advisory Services
- Family Support after Illness
- Patient’s Knowledge about Local Support Facilities
- Conclusion
- References
Introduction
Notably, patient education is a vital requirement in the achievement of improved outcomes of healthcare. As a result, patient educators need to spend most of their time interacting with patients. Administration of proper education to a patient contributes significantly to a better healthcare status as patients understand how to manage their condition throughout recovery. This paper investigates how patient education influences the healthcare system by exploring the experiences of an elderly client. For factual information about healthcare experiences concerning patient education, I interviewed Mr. Jake, my American friend aged 72 years.
Importance of Patient Education and Patient’s Health Condition Background
Undeniably, healthcare teaching professionals, such as nurses and doctors, improve patients’ and society’s health outcomes through patient education. Therefore, patient education is an essential tool enabling one to manage their health conditions to enhance welfare (Anderson et al., 2017). Mr. Jake is a mainstream white American appearing to be overweight and has other significant physical impairments, including walking and general body flexibility. Recent medical results confirmed that Mr. Jake is obese and suffers from hypertension. In addition, medical tests proved that he has high blood sugar and lipid levels.
Patient Education Influences Health Condition Management At Home
The first interview question that required a comprehensive response from Mr. Jake concerned whether the healthcare teaching professional provided him with instructions on how to exercise care for his health condition while at home. In answer to this question, Mr. Jake confirmed that the teaching physician gave him instructions regarding the importance of strictly following his medical schedules and the prescribed treatment, including taking medicine in its proper dosage (Fereidouni et al., 2019). Because the patient education representative applied communication skills effectively, both in writing and verbally, Jake commented that it was easy to remember and follow the instructions.
Patient’s Culture and Religion Consideration in Patient Education
The second interview question was intended to determine whether the patient’s education was sensitive to Mr. Jake’s religion and culture. Jake’s response to this question confirmed his dissatisfaction with healthcare teaching professionals concerning their disregard for the Muslim faith, especially when developing his medication schedules. Notably, the healthcare professionals provided Mr. Jake with a medication schedule that collides with his prayer plan (Paterick et al., 2017). However, after much insistence, Mr. Jake and the healthcare professional came to an agreeable schedule that respected the Muslim prayer timetable.
Dietary and Physical Exercise Advisory Services
The third interview question intended to establish whether Mr. Jakes received any advice regarding his diet and physical body exercise from the healthcare educator. In response, Jake affirmed that the teaching physician provided him with dietary advice, including minimal salt, sugar, and fat intake (Chester et al., 2018). Moreover, the healthcare professional advised Jake to avoid smoking, include more vegetables and fresh fruits in his daily meals, and undertake a forty to fifty-minute walk daily (Walsh et al., 2019). Mr. Jake proved the diet and exercise advice to be satisfactory as he had to check his diet and undertake regular physical exercises while at home.
Family Support after Illness
The fourth interview question investigated whether Mr. Jake received any support from his family members after falling ill. Jake answered that he received massive support from his wife and children. They significantly encouraged him to strictly follow the instructions and the medical advice given by the patient education professional. In addition, Jakes’s wife helps him lead a healthy life by ensuring he takes healthy food and undertakes regular physical exercises (Maslakpak et al., 2018). Moreover, Jake confirmed that his wife and children had taken him to every clinical appointment, encouraging him to manage his health conditions confidently.
Patient’s Knowledge about Local Support Facilities
The last question sought to establish Mr. Jake’s knowledge about his locality’s social and community support services. In his answer, Mr. Jake affirmed that the social nurse enrolled him in a local group of aged persons living with hypertension and diabetes (Caydam & Kaya, 2019). In addition, Mr. Jake has information about shopping facilities to get fresh vegetables and fruits for his diet (Giguère et al., 2020). Jake confirmed that the above knowledge significantly improved his health conditions as it provided him with social and moral support, which are necessary for his mental and physical welfare.
Conclusion
In conclusion, providing elderly patients with healthcare education is critical in catering to their health requirements while at home. As a result, healthcare professionals should interact with patients and communicate health information effectively to them and their family members. Patient education proves beneficial in promoting better health care outcomes by providing social support to patients. As a result, teaching physicians must ensure that patient education considers every need of their clients.
References
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Fereidouni, Z., Sabet Sarvestani, R., Hariri, G., Kuhpaye, S., Amirkhani, M., & Kalyani, M. (2019). Moving Into Action: The master key to patient education. Journal of nursing research, 27(1). Web.
Caydam, O., & Kaya, U. (2019). Association between social support and diabetes burden among elderly patients with diabetes: A cross-sectional study from Turkey. Saudi Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences, 7(2). Web.
Chester, B., Stanely, W., & Geetha, T. (2018). A quick guide to type 2 diabetes self-management education: creating an interdisciplinary diabetes management team. Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy, 11, 641-645. Web.
Giguère, A., Zomahoun, H. T. V., Carmichael, P. H., Uwizeye, C. B., Légaré, F., Grimshaw, J. M., Marie-Pierre, G., David, U. A., & Massougbodji, J. (2020). Printed educational materials: effects on professional practice and healthcare outcomes. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (8). Web.
Maslakpak, M., Rezaei, B., & Parizad, N. (2018). Does family involvement in patient education improve hypertension management? A single-blind randomized, parallel-group, controlled trial. Cogent Medicine, 5(1), 1537063. Web.
Paterick, T., Patel, N., Tajik, A., & Chandrasekaran, K. (2017). Improving health outcomes through patient education and partnerships with patients. Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, 30(1), 112-113. Web.
Walsh, K., Grech, C., & Hill, K. (2019). Health advise and education given to overweight patients by primary care doctors and nurses: A scoping literature review. Preventive Medicine Reports, 14, 100812. Web.