INFLUENCE OF PATIENT EDUCATION IN HEALTH CARE 1

Influence of Patient Education in Health Care

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Influence of Patient Education in Health Care

Patient education is one of the approaches healthcare professionals use to improve

patients’ competence in health topics, including preventive healthcare. Health literacy

increases the capacity for patients to engage in self-care, which results in better health

outcomes (Wittink & Oosterhaven, 2018). Despite the effectiveness of patient education in

improving literacy, this objective is not always attained, and patients may have different

experiences of the process. In understanding these experiences, an interview with TT, a 64

years old African American male diagnosed with type II diabetes, was conducted. Also, the

interview was aimed at evaluating how effective a patient educator was in providing the

patient with the required skills, knowledge, and competencies in medication management,

self-care, home assistance, and additional services for patients with the same condition.

From the interview, TT noted that the interaction with the provider during the

treatment and discharge was fairly excellent as important information was provided. The

patient education representative working with TT provided the patient with the required

information on the management of diabetes. According to TT, some of the information and

instructions at discharge included medication use, lifestyle changes, blood sugar monitoring,

and ways of engaging with the primary provider. The provider also incorporated the use of

technology to monitor health and interact with providers without necessarily visiting the

facility, an approach that has been evidenced by Qudah and Luetsch (2019) as essential for a

patient with long-term conditions.

According to TT, other than type II diabetes, the patient had a history of hypertension,

obesity, and high cholesterol. In meeting the needs of the patient, the primary physician

collaborated with the pharmacists towards medication reconciliation, a physical therapist to

help develop TT’s physical exercise plan, and a dietitian who was also involved in

developing a dietary plan. All these healthcare professionals were actively involved in
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educating the patient and advising TT on the best way to manage the condition with minimal

health and life consequences. De Baetselier et al. (2020) demonstrate that the input of

different healthcare professionals through interprofessional collaboration is critical in

supporting comprehensive patient education. According to TT, the involvement of several

providers in his education resulted in a reduction in the number of medications he takes

despite a new diagnosis, while it improved the patient’s self-care ability in matters of

medication use, physical exercise, and dietary modifications.

At home, support, as described by TT, was primarily received from the family

members who were part of the educational program. The role of the family, in this case, was

to help the patient adhere to the medications, engage in physical activities as needed, and

adhere to a healthy diet as strategies to manage diabetes, control weight gain, and reduce the

risk of comorbidities. Family support is essential in enabling a patient to achieve a higher

level of health care outcomes (Gilliss, Pan, & Davis, 2019). TT noted that his family’s

involvement in the patient education program was essential in enhancing its capacity to

support him through the disease process. Despite all this, TT expressed concerns that he had

no idea of available assistance services for people with diabetes and in the older age. Other

than the homes for older adults, which he does not prefer to stay with, he noted a missing part

as he was not connected with the available community and national resources to help him

stay at home.
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References

De Baetselier, E., Van Rompaey, B., Batalha, L. M., Bergqvist, M., Czarkowska-Paczek, B.,

De Santis, A., ... & Dilles, T. (2020). EUPRON: nurses’ practice in interprofessional

pharmaceutical care in Europe. A cross-sectional survey in 17 countries. BMJ Open,

10(6), e036269. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-036269

Gilliss, C. L., Pan, W., & Davis, L. L. (2019). Family involvement in adult chronic disease

care: reviewing the systematic reviews. Journal of Family Nursing, 25(1), 3-27.

https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1074840718822365

Qudah, B., & Luetsch, K. (2019). The influence of mobile health applications on patient-

healthcare provider relationships: a systematic, narrative review. Patient education

and counseling, 102(6), 1080-1089. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2019.01.021

Wittink, H., & Oosterhaven, J. (2018). Patient education and health literacy. Musculoskeletal

Science and Practice, 38, 120-127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msksp.2018.06.004