Patient Education Management Archives – June 1, 2004
June 1, 2004
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Streamline documentation for outpatient education
Documentation is becoming a routine part of patient education in inpatient settings. However, many health care providers have not yet formed this good habit in outpatient areas. Proper documentation establishes a paper trail showing that education took place. This is important for the legal department should litigation occur. -
Teaching and nursing skills a winning combination
Terry Chase, ND, RN, patient and family education program coordinator at Craig Hospital in Englewood, CO, received her nursing degree in 1996. She had been teaching in public schools for ten years, but her experience as a patient following a spinal cord injury prompted her to change careers. -
Health ‘illiteracy’ may cause disparities in care
Nearly half of all American adults 90 million people have difficulty understanding and using health information, and there is a higher rate of hospitalization and use of emergency services among patients with such limited health literacy, states a report released April 8 by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). -
Improve communication with surrogate decision-makers
Alleviate burden by focusing on patients wishes. Recent studies in intensive care units have found that critical care specialists often try to base decisions about withdrawal of advanced life support measures on their perception of the patients wishes and the likelihood of survival in the ICU.