Summary
Technology in the Information Age has the potential to revolutionize health and healthcare education. Technology is a means of delivering instructional content and encouraging learning. There are several advantages to technology-based education, as well as problems for educators and students. Nurses have to learn new techniques to enhance patient health and wellness and their professional growth and development (Hunt et al., 2018). Nurse educators may help shape it by thinking imaginatively about utilizing educational technology and researching its efficacy.
Study Summary
Nursing and engineering teachers and students collaborated on this pilot research. Ten diabetic self-management instructional courses were created and distributed digitally via iPad devices. The modules were distributed to patients with type 2 diabetes who visited health promotion health centers in rural areas (Hunt et al., 2018). Before and after the instructional modules, participants completed a diabetes knowledge questionnaire. To fulfill the educational requirements of persons living with diabetes in remote settings, the topics of eating healthily, taking medicines, monitoring for complications, and exercising were chosen (Hunt et al., 2018). In each session, specific examples were provided to demonstrate the feasibility of making reasonable adjustments concerning diabetes self-management.
Along with general comments on portion control and healthy eating, modules included tips such as not eating while watching television and avoiding canned foods high in salt or sugar. Images were utilized to pique people’s attention and offer context for the lesson. When more training was required, such as how to draw up insulin or other sorts of workout regimens to undertake at home, videos were included (Hunt et al., 2018). The illustrations featured in the modules represented a wide range of races and cultural backgrounds. Diabetes knowledge ratings increased statistically significantly from pre-educational intervention to post-educational intervention.
My Thoughts About the Use of Technology to Educate Patients
Patient education has always played a significant role in increasing satisfaction, quality, and cost. Patient education that is HIT-integrated encourages patients to be active participants in their health, allows patients to comprehend and adhere to their treatment plans, and increases efficiency through better educated patient-clinician communications. Increased interoperability, digital health applications, and other HIT innovations will improve the health care sector by allowing patients to get medical consultations conveniently.
Reference
Hunt, C. W., Henderson, K., & Chapman, R. (2018). Using technology to provide diabetes education for rural communities.Online Journal of Rural Nursing & Health Care, 18(2). Web.