How to Improve Patient Education

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Managing health care challenges can be a daunting and complex endeavor for many patients. Often, the advice they receive can be conflicting, making informed care choices all the more difficult. By providing patients with clear and accurate information about their health conditions or illnesses they may be at risk for, nurses can help them navigate their care choices with confidence.

The process of informing patients and their families about symptoms, potential treatments, side effects, and prevention tips is an essential part of patient education. According to studies such as a 2020 report on heart failure from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, poor health literacy can leave people at greater risk for death and hospitalization. Proper education and access to legitimate health information and tips for disease prevention are critical to both saving lives and improving patient outcomes.

Building the foundational knowledge needed to fight health misinformation through patient education requires nurses to complete advanced training themselves. By earning an advanced degree such as a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), aspiring nurse leaders can better assist their patients, teaching and treating individuals with confidence, clarity, and actionable steps that can improve health outcomes.

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Encouraging patients to invest in their own care and wellness decisions is vital to achieving optimal health outcomes, and proper education and guidance are a huge part of empowering patients. Studies have shown that patients who better understand their circumstances and are actively participating in their health care can achieve better results than those who are not informed or not involved in their care decisions.

While the terms “health literacy” and “patient education” are often used interchangeably — and are both an essential element of effective care delivery — “patient education” is often used to refer to a specific illness or health challenge, while “health literacy” generally entails preventive measures or a general health- and wellness-conscious lifestyle.

Patient education is implemented in scenarios such as:

• Informing patients of the nature of their diagnosis
• Teaching patients about disease-specific warning signs
• Preparing and implementing a care plan
• Prescribing medications and informing patients of best practices
• Providing patients with guidance in advance of (and after) medical procedures
• Preparing patients for discharge from the hospital
• Educating patients on how to best manage a chronic illness or disease

Patient education is a vital part of achieving optimal health outcomes. By helping patients better understand their health conditions, nurses and other providers can provide their patients with a sense of autonomy, collaborating with them to find solutions.

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Among their many responsibilities, nurses often find themselves as one of the main points of contact for patients. From informing them of their diagnosis to preparing them for procedures or assisting them in returning home from the hospital, nurses are involved every step of the way.

As lifelong students themselves, nurses are constantly learning about and adapting to the latest or most effective standards of care. One of the most important aspects of care is providing patients and their families with the knowledge and resources they need to take control of their health. By pursuing a holistic approach to nursing and passing along methods for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, nurses can help their patients thrive.

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Health care doesn’t stop at the doors of a hospital or clinic; cultivating a wellness-focused lifestyle and maintaining positive outcomes require patient cooperation and dedication outside of care settings. Patient education in nursing entails counseling and providing patients with the tools and resources they need to look after their own health.

For those with diseases such as diabetes, patient education may involve learning how to self-administer insulin or monitor glucose levels, continuing their treatments from home. In other cases, nurses may educate patients about healthy habits, recovery benchmarks to strive for, or warning signs and symptoms to look out for, informing patients about what’s normal or when it’s best to seek additional assistance from their care provider.

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Taking the time to educate patients about upcoming medical procedures can have multiple advantages. For many patients, preparing for a procedure can be intimidating and stressful. In some cases, these fears can make patients combative or difficult to treat. One of the ways to mitigate these challenges and improve the long-term outcomes of medical procedures is through education.

Explaining why a procedure is necessary, the steps involved, how instruments work, and what to expect during and after the procedure can both put patients at ease and help to set realistic expectations for the healing process.

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A vital component of early diagnosis and improving patient outcomes, preventive medicine can have wide-reaching and long-lasting positive effects. From educating patients about diet and exercise to teaching patients how to perform self-screenings, providing instruction on preventive medicine and how to implement good health habits can make all the difference in fighting disease.

These measures can be particularly effective for minorities, underserved communities, or specific demographics. For female patients, education from a women’s health nurse practitioner can include learning how to perform breast self-exams or understanding normal versus abnormal symptoms of their menstrual cycle.

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Managing a disease or illness can be challenging for patients. For many, seeking care is stressful and unfamiliar, causing them to feel as though their world has been flipped upside down. Having to make adjustments to their lifestyle, medications, and treatments and putting trust in medical professionals can be an entirely new and intimidating experience for patients facing a new diagnosis.

One of the main reasons patient education is important is that it’s not only about helping a patient learn how to manage new circumstances in life, but also empowering them to regain some control over their future. In many cases, such as with aging parents whose health is in decline, patients need assistance in managing their conditions and turning to family members to act as caregivers. By ensuring that both the patient and the caregiver are well informed, nurses can facilitate better care, better caregiving, optimal levels of compliance with treatment protocols, and a higher quality of life.

With the help of skilled and knowledgeable nurses, patients who are informed of their circumstances and what needs to be done to overcome their health care challenges are better able to play an active role in their care and are often more equipped to handle the stresses of recovery.

The ways in which patient education can be beneficial include the following:

• Improved health outcomes. From promoting early diagnosis to ensuring compliance with care plans and the proper use of treatments and medications, patient education plays a fundamental part in improving patient outcomes.
• Empowerment and a sense of autonomy for patients. By encouraging patients to play an active role in their care, nurses can help them feel empowered and regain a sense of control over their lives and health.
• Quality of life. Patient education can not only improve a patient’s health through more effective treatment, but also enable patients to implement some care measures at home. This can allow patients to spend more time at home with their loved ones and less time in hospitals or other medical facilities.
• Patient satisfaction. One of the challenges of seeking care for many patients is the lack of communication. Patient education is important because it helps ensure patients not only feel heard, but also that they’re being treated as human beings. It’s comforting for patients to have a nurse make sure that they understand what treatments they’re undergoing and why.
• Trust in the health care system. Health misinformation can cause patients to fear or mistrust the health care system and resist seeking help. By increasing trust in medical professionals through education, patients can be diagnosed earlier, improving their chances of success.
• Health system costs. By contributing to the early detection of diseases, patient education can help reduce health care costs for both patients and providers. Patients who receive an early diagnosis may require less invasive (and expensive) procedures and can increase the likelihood of remission. Treating an illness or a disease before it progresses to a more advanced stage can lessen the financial and emotional burden of seeking health care.

Success in health care relies on collaboration between patients and their care providers. By investing in patient education, providers can establish a rapport with their patients, build or restore their trust in the health care system, allow them to regain some autonomy and control over their future, and work together to reach their health care goals.

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As positive as patient education can be for the health and wellness of individuals, health misinformation can be equally harmful. Health misinformation is false or misleading information that is inaccurate according to the latest research and scientific evidence. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this dissemination of false and unreliable information is an “infodemic,” negatively affecting people and communities around the world.

Health care is a complicated and nuanced field that relies on accurate and proven science to inform best practices, procedures, and treatments. Unfortunately, with the advent of the internet and social media, it has never been easier for health misinformation to spread, causing confusion; harming public health initiatives; encouraging mistrust in health care organizations, professionals, and researchers; and ultimately worsening people’s health.

One of the main challenges of combating health misinformation is that it can often be convincing, making it difficult for the public to know which sources to trust. Add on the reality that science and medicine often must update information in the face of new evidence, and it can seem as though no source is trustworthy.

While some popular or internet-driven health trends or recommendations can be innocent enough, others can have lasting repercussions. Although treatment may be correct for one person, it may have adverse effects for another. Without the expertise of a medical professional, people may find themselves implementing trends as treatments, actions that can prove harmful or even fatal. Clear and effective patient education is an essential antidote for health misinformation.

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Just as the science behind health care is constantly evolving and improving, so too are the methods for patient education and treatment. For advanced practice nurses, the primary goal of educational efforts is to achieve positive outcomes for their patients through the most effective and least invasive means possible. This goal is usually best achieved with the cooperation of the patient and a high level of trust between patient and provider.

Building patient trust takes time, patience, and an emphasis on patient-centered care. By acknowledging not only that each patient has a different set of circumstances but also that they’ll respond to treatments and communication methods differently, skilled nurses can tailor strategies to each patient, ensuring that they receive the appropriate information and encouraging them to take an active role in their care.

The following are some methods for ensuring effective patient education.

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Patients have many options when seeking out health care information — some better than others. Nurses must provide their patients with clear and accurate information and resources that can enhance their understanding of their health conditions. In a world where many turn to social media or the internet for medical advice, improving the quality of patients’ educational resources is key.

By ensuring that the information patients receive is both engaging and easy to understand, nurses can fight instances of health misinformation and encourage patients to turn to medical professionals for their care.

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Although in decades past patient education wasn’t necessarily at the forefront of priorities in medicine, it’s an essential aspect of health care today.

Placing a greater emphasis on patient education is beneficial on multiple levels. It can encourage patients to adhere more consistently to their care recommendations and help improve the rates of early diagnosis through preventive measures, such as cancer screenings.

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Communication is at the heart of patient education. One of the many challenges of properly educating patients is ensuring they fully understand the information being shared with them. Additionally, many patients struggle with feeling heard or respected, which may leave them with the impression that their experience isn’t important or that medical professionals don’t value them as human beings.

Overcoming these challenges and breaks in communication is essential to improving patient education and achieving positive results. The more patients understand their diagnosis, warning signs, and methods of treatment, the more they can adhere to them and improve their health.

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Skilled medical professionals have years of experience learning medical and scientific terminology. For those who don’t have this training, however, it can be the first time they hear certain medical terms or information describing their condition. By avoiding medical jargon, nurses can minimize any confusion or misinformation, informing them instead in a way that patients can understand and that’s less likely to be interpreted as condescension or lack of respect.

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A well-known tenet of education is that everyone learns differently. Learning styles can play a huge part in whether information is absorbed properly or understood. With this in mind, nurses can adapt or create different types of resources for different patients. From those who learn better by reading or those who require visual aids to those who need to try something for comprehension, effective patient education relies on whether the information is provided in a way that people can understand.

Bolstering patient resources with different types of educational aids can also help overcome the hurdle of different learning styles, making it more likely that patients who need to take medications at home, such as insulin injections for diabetes, are doing so properly and safely.

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Building a rapport between nurses and their patients is grounded in effective communication. By engaging in practices such as active listening or encouraging questions, nurses can provide supportive and thoughtful care to their patients, learning which part of their treatment is challenging them most and providing solutions. Additionally, when patients feel more comfortable confiding in their provider, nurses and physicians may be able to catch early warning signs and symptoms from a patient’s history.

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Investing in patient education can be beneficial for both patients and the nurses treating them. By providing patients with the information and resources they need to make sensible health and wellness choices, nurses can contribute to positive patient health outcomes and better support health care providers and systems.

Acquiring the skills to provide superior patient education takes time and dedication. Earning an advanced degree, such as the online Master of Science in Nursing from Regis College, can help prepare aspiring nurse leaders for the work of engaging with and empowering their patients. Working directly with active nursing professionals, the MSN program was designed to provide students with the practical skills they need to succeed.

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