Educating Patients: Creating Teaching Moments in Practice
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EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE There is a high risk that patients and families will make medication errors. Reports show that medication errors at home occur in between 2% and 33% of cases. The most common er- rors include incorrect dose, missed doses, and wrong medication. Lack of understanding or ineffective teach- ing or communication are factors that can lead to these medication errors (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ], 2021). Even if patient teaching is performed, if it is not done effectively, there can still be negative consequences. Studies have discussed the perception of education in the hospital. One study discussed how patients over age 65 reported they had good instructions at discharge, and yet 40% did not understand the purpose of their hospitalization, and 54% did not recall follow-up instructions (Alper et al., 2022). | HEALTHCARE CONSIDERATION Engagement and involvement of pa- tients in their care has been shown to produce better outcomes (AHRQ, 2022). Patient teaching has been shown to effectively lower readmis- sion rates, particularly in specific pop - ulations. One systematic review looked at dif- ferences in outcomes based on effective communication and education. Results showed higher satisfaction (60.9% versus 49.5%), improved compliance with treat- ment (86.1% versus 79%), and lower read- mission rates (9.1% versus 13.5%; Becker et al., 2021).
An additional systematic review focused on education and improved outcomes with cardiac patients. Results demonstrat- ed that there was a statistically significant difference with physical activity (mean dif- ference 1.27), dietary habits (mean differ- ence 0.76), and medication compliance (mean difference 0.31; Feng et al., 2021). Another study examined the return rates of emergency department patients, based on comprehension of discharge in- formation. The teach-back method for pa- tient teaching was specifically tested, and results showed there was a lowered com- prehension deficit (from 49% to 11.9%), and a decrease in return to the emergen- cy department (8.1% versus 41.3%; Ma - hajan et al., 2020). A research study focused on a joint ed- ucation class for patients undergoing to- tal hip or total knee replacement surgery. Results showed that total hip replace- ment patients were 4.45 times more likely to experience a postoperative infection if they did not have the joint education class. A total knee replacement patient who did not attend these classes was 1.3 times more likely to be readmitted and returned to the operating room with a surgical site infection after discharge (Marshall, 2020). Studies have also shown the effective- ness of teaching with pediatric patients. One study tested the effects of an asthma education program for school-aged chil- dren. Results were statistically significant for reported symptoms, use of a peak flow meter, and daily activities. Although not statistically significant, there was also a reduction in school absences (Isik et al., 2021).
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