Nurses play the role of educating patients during the provision of care. This is because nurses directly interact with patients giving them an opportunity to educate them on diverse aspects relating to health improvement (Ashton & Oermann, 2014). One of the roles of nurses as health educator involves providing relevant information to patients or other individuals that is able to facilitate behavior change to effectively manage or prevent the development of certain medical conditions. Nurses may also help individuals to make informed decisions related to health promotion, treatment interventions, and disease prevention (Ashton & Oermann, 2014). It is important for nurses to enhance the delivery of health education to prevent hospital readmissions and negative patient outcomes that affect the achievement of healthcare goals.
One of the strategies that a nurse educator can consider when developing tailored individual care plans is the integration of technology to improve accessibility of education materials that will enable patients to access resources related to their care easily (Strickland, 2017). Another strategy involves including family members or close relatives in the education process. This provides nurses with an opportunity to provide family members with important instructions since they are responsible for caring for the patient. Family members play a crucial role in helping patients to effectively manage their health conditions which is attributed to the time that they spend together with their patient (Strickland, 2017).
Family members can also understand some of the health interventions and changes required for patients where they can provide the required support. Behavioral objectives can be utilized in health promotion when the nurse is able to measure and evaluate how a change in certain behavior will result in improved health for the patient (Ashton & Oermann, 2014). Certain health conditions require the coordination between the nurse and the patient to achieve certain healthcare goals. In such cases, nurses help patients receiving care at home to get optimal care as well as improve their health status (Ashton & Oermann, 2014).
References
- Ashton, K., & Oermann, M. H. (2014). Patient education in home care: strategies for success. Home Healthcare Nurse. 32(5), 288-294.
- Strickland, D. (2017). Healthy Nurse | Healthy Nation. Colorado Nurse, 117(3), 3.
