Introduction
The patient under the question is a white female, aged 52, with abdominal pain and nausea. Diverticulitis is the patient’s medical diagnosis; moreover, the past health history includes diabetic hypertension and hyperlipidemia. The glucose level is elevated. Besides, the patient is symptomatic which enables me to insist on diet teaching for the patient. The patient expresses absolute readiness to learn appropriate materials and follow the prescribed diet. Though the disease is commonly undiagnosed and the most obvious symptom is abdominal pain, it is possible to treat the patient by the results of computer tomography or CT scans that are very accurate in detecting diverticulitis.
Assessment of the Learner
The patient was interested in teaching and eager to follow the high fiber diet including carbohydrate control aimed at decreasing her diabetic symptoms. As it is reasonable to learn more about the condition of the organism, this can be done in every age with various diagnoses. Though the patient under consideration is aged 52, she seemed to be very interested in gaining more knowledge on certain steps that can be taken to reduce abdominal pain via taking to relevant diet. This diet was targeted at decreasing the level of glucose and lessening her diverticulitis symptoms. The patient’s readiness for learning as well as psychological and sociocultural factors can be considered beneficial for the outcomes of this teaching module.
Objectives
Compliance is one of the major factors influencing the outcome objectives of patient teaching. The patient and the family were expected to realize the major benefits of the patient’s health from following the medical advice. In this respect, the process objective included the following points:
- Develop patient’s understanding of the nature of her disease;
- Develop the family’s understanding of benefits of the patient teaching modules;
- Make sure the patient expresses desire and readiness to acquire knowledge on the issue under consideration (her disease, symptoms, glucose level);
- Achieve an understanding of the presented information by the patient.
The major outcome objectives included the following points:
- Reduce the glucose level;
- Achieve the patient’s following the prescribed diet and other measures coordinated with the patient and her family.
Outline of Lesson Plan
The first lesson includes visual aids, a description of her diagnosis, and an explanation of major benefits from this teaching process. The primary objectives introduced to the patient included some information on her diagnosis, major results from taking to a diet, and the necessity of sharing information. In this respect, the patient was informed about the importance of providing her nursing professionals with feedback on her knowledge and her condition. Thus, the lesson consisted of some information provided by the nurse; the next step concerned the information processed by the patient as she was asked to restate how she understood the data provided; the final stage consisted of the patient’s attempts to choose some meals with low carb-level and low glucose-level. It was also recommended to the patient to take notes every time she had some questions and ask the nurse about symptoms and different unclear issues concerning the diet and the food choice.
Resources, Strategies, and Materials
The visual aids reflect the condition of the bowels with her diagnosis. For this purpose articles by Hughes (1969) and Hulnick et al. (1984) can be used. As the patient may be doubtful about the latest researches, these articles are sure to persuade her of the relevance of the measures to her problems. In addition, it is reasonable to use the website that contains specific programs and menu plans that facilitate taking low-carbohydrate meals and those to reduce the glucose level. It is of paramount importance to gain an understanding of the patient on the diet benefits and make sure she can take carb-low food and assess an approximate level of carbohydrates in meals she eats every day. Moreover, it is necessary to get the patient’s feedback on how she feels after taking to a diet and how she can further improve her health. I believe that cognitivism was the most appropriate for this patient as she was ready to learn materials and reorganize her eating habits.
Evaluation Measures
The process of learning was measured by certain principles. It was necessary to evaluate the level of data acquisition by the patient. Unlike the behaviorism strategy when the assessment is performed by the individual, it was necessary to control the level of understanding and facilitate comprehension of given materials. The outcomes were also evaluated in terms of expected and perceived ones.
Reflection and Comments
The plan was rather effective in terms of the family’s understanding of the benefits and the patient’s desire to learn more and follow medical advice. A positive teacher-learner relationship allowed me to judge upon the genuine understanding of the materials by the patient. She had some difficulties with choosing an appropriate balance of glucose and carbohydrates in her food at the first stage. However, the patient expressed more persistence and desire to study than I expected which turned out to be highly beneficial. At the end of the teaching-learning process, the patient verbalized different food options and could plan her daily carbohydrate food intake. The website that counted the number of calories, as well as the level of carbohydrates, seemed to capture her interest.
Reference List
Hughes, L. E. (1969). Diverticulosis and diverticulitis. In: Postmortem survey of diverticular disease of the colon. (336-351). Department of Surgery, University of Queensland, and the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane. Web.
Hulnick, D. H., Megibow,A. J., Balthazar, E. J., Naidich, D. P., and Bosniak, M. A. (1984). Computed tomography in the evaluation of diverticulitis. Radiology, 152, pp. 491-495.