question:
Older Adults Patient Education Issues Essay and Interview
The healthcare sector is obligated to deliver high-quality and safe healthcare services, which are essential in promoting better health outcomes for the patients, thus improving their quality of life. The delivery of such high-quality and safe healthcare services requires the various professionals to apply evidence-based practices to achieve better health outcomes for the patients. A patient-centered approach effectively achieves better health outcomes, as it advocates for holistic care that addresses the various patient health needs (Catalyst, 2017). Incorporating the patient into managing their conditions requires proper patient education to enlighten them on what is required to achieve better health outcomes.
Patient education and the delivery of healthcare services have undergone a series of transformations, most of which have been essential in promoting better health outcomes for the patients. Initially, the delivery of healthcare services placed the healthcare provider as the authority, whose advice and the patients must follow instructions to recover from their illnesses. This was more of authoritarianism, where the healthcare providers decided on what information was to be given; thus, the patients had scarce information regarding their health conditions (Paterick et al., 2017). This has, however, changed over time since the patients have gotten more involved in their healthcare than before. The incorporation of technology has enhanced this in healthcare, empowering patients who are more concerned and knowledgeable about their health and seek medical care. The healthcare professionals have also fostered a more patient-centered approach in delivering healthcare services and health promotion through patient teaching to enhance compliance to the medications and treatment procedures, enhance the better patient experience, and overall patient satisfaction (Wittink & Oosterhaven, 2018).
The collaboration between the various healthcare providers and the patients in the delivery of healthcare services is essential since the patients must understand their conditions to enable them to make appropriate decisions regarding their health and follow the instructions and recommendations provided by the healthcare professionals regarding what is required of them to achieve better health outcomes. Old age is often associated with various health challenges, for instance, higher incidences of chronic health conditions among these individuals. This implies that the health needs of the elderly are more complex compared to the younger population.
Therefore, the teaching of elderly patients regarding their health can also be challenging due to various barriers such as preexisting chronic conditions such as changes in mental status, sensory changes, and other chronic illnesses (Yap et al., 2016). Other factors that make patient education for the elderly challenging could be life experiences, interactions, and relationships with family members. The various barriers to effective patient education among the elderly emphasize the need for the healthcare providers to adjust the teaching to address the special needs of these patients (Yap et al., 2016). The elderly population also experiences other challenges such as communication barriers, such as language differences with healthcare providers from different ethnic groups. Strategies should be developed to address these barriers to ensure the effectiveness of patient education.
I interviewed a 72-year-old family friend, a diabetic patient, to determine his interactions with the healthcare providers and how they educated him on his condition. The first question that I asked him was if the patient education representative gave him instructions on how to care for himself. He replied that the patient education representative was useful and advised him appropriately. He reported that he was told to adhere to his medications, continuously monitor his blood sugar using the device he was taught how to use, and constantly communicate with the healthcare professionals in case of any changes in his health status that require medical attention. Regarding if he was advised on diet, medications, and exercise, he replied that he was first advised of the various drugs that could be used to manage his condition, the side effects, and the efficacy. He was then advised on the dosage and frequency of the medications and the need to be compliant with the medications. In cases where he was finding difficulties in remaining compliant, for instance, due to adverse effects, he was advised to report such concerns to the healthcare professionals so that an alternative medication could be prescribed.
Besides, he reports that he was advised on the need to be physically active, as this will help in reducing further complications. The other advice given was regarding diet, where he reports to have been informed of the appropriate diet to take, such as avoiding sugary and fatty foods, as these could worsen his condition. Instead, he was advised to take plenty of fruits and vegetables. The other question I asked him was regarding the caregivers at home and incorporated during education. He replied that his wife accompanied him to the health facility, where she was also informed about her husband’s condition and her roles to enable the patient to achieve better health outcomes. From the interview, he admits that his wife has offered all forms of support through the teaching and often reminds him to take her medications and exercise regularly. She also monitors his diet to adhere to the doctor’s instructions. During the interview, the patient looked well and appreciated the role education has played in enhancing his health outcomes. He admits that his condition has improved so far since incorporating the teachings into real practice by him and his wife, who is his primary caregiver.
References
Catalyst, N. E. J. M. (2017). What is patient-centered care?. NEJM Catalyst, 3(1). https://catalyst.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/CAT.17.0559
Paterick, T. E., Patel, N., Tajik, A. J., & Chandrasekaran, K. (2017, January). Improving health outcomes through patient education and partnerships with patients. Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings (Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 112-113). Taylor & Francis. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/08998280.2017.11929552
Wittink, H., & Oosterhaven, J. (2018). Patient education and health literacy. Musculoskeletal Science and Practice, 38, 120-127. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468781218302182
Yap, A. F., Thirumoorthy, T., & Kwan, Y. H. (2016). Medication adherence in the elderly. Journal of Clinical Gerontology and Geriatrics, 7(2), 64-67. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210833515000441
question:
Write a 500-750-word essay on the influence patient education has in health care using the experiences of a patient. Interview a friend or family member about that person’s experiences with the health care system. You may develop your list of questions.
Suggested interview questions:
Did a patient education representative give you instructions on how to care for yourself after your illness or operation?
Did a health care professional, pharmacist, nurse, doctor, or elder counselor advise you on your medication, diet, or exercise?
Who assisted you at home after your illness or operation?
Do you know of any assistance services, i.e., food, transportation, medication, that would help you stay in your home as you get older?
Requirements
Updates to the Older Adults Patient Education Issues and Interview
Stay within the word count limits: 500-750 words. More than 50 words over the top limit will result in a reduced score. References are not included in the word count.
Interview a different person for this essay than the one for the Stages-of-Life Essay; the interviewee must be 65 years or older.
The Interview is not a word-for-word transposition of questions and answers from the interviewee: it is an integration of the interviewee’s experiences and the material from the readings.
Only .doc or .docx formats are allowed.
No Abstract is required.
The GCU Template IS REQUIRED. It is located in Path > Connect > Forums > Topic 4 DQ2 or the Student Success Center. If the submitted paper is not in GCU Format, it will be returned to the student for correction.
As a reminder, PERRLA and OWL Purdue are not used in this course, since they often result in errors in APA Format.
Use the GCU Library or the List of Allowed Online Scholarly Resources to guide you in making a selection of peer-reviewed resources.
Resources are required for the paper. Remember, paraphrased materials must still be cited in the text.
Remember to use personal communication citations for your interviewee: the format for personal communications is specific, so be sure to review the post in Path > Connect > Forums > Topic 4 DQ2 for the proper format and placement of these citations.
Students who fail to include citations or references may have the assignment returned for correction. Remember, a lack of references or citations is considered plagiarism by GCU.
Be sure to apply prior feedback from the instructor before submitting the assignment.
Be careful about academic honesty and avoid plagiarism. Copying another person’s work can result in severe academic penalties.
The Grading Rubric for the essay is located on the bottom right of the assignment instructions section. Be sure to compare it to what you have written.
When saving the paper, put your name or initials in the file name to ensure it is specifically identified with you. This prevents overwriting the downloaded paper with another student’s paper due to the same file names.
Submit the paper to LopesWrite, ensuring the Similarity Score is 20% or less and the Quoted Text is 20% or less before clicking on the button to upload it into the assignment dropbox. Documents with either value greater than 20% may be returned for correction.
Ten percent will be deducted for every day the paper remains unsubmitted past the due date. This means that after ten days, no assignment can receive any points.
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