Online Companion: Fundamentals of Nursing Standards and Practice 2E

Chapter Summary

This chapter describes the use of client teaching as a way that the nurse helps clients. The teaching-learning process is defined and its steps of assessment, identification of needs, planning, implementation and evaluation are compared to the steps of the nursing process. The chapter discusses how teaching and learning differ for clients across the lifespan. For instance, adolescents have learning need for information about physiologic changes they are experiencing. Content about contraception and substance abuse prevention is appropriate to clients in this developmental stage.

Factors that create barriers to learning as well as those that can facilitate learning are listed. The nurse begins client education by assessing the client's learning needs, learning style, ability to learn and readiness to learn. The client's previous experiences and knowledge base are also included in the assessment phase. A common nursing diagnosis for the client who needs information or skills to maintain self-care is Knowledge Deficit. The next phase in the teaching process involves planning what to teach the client and how to match teaching strategies to client needs and strengths. Planning includes deciding who will do the teaching and who else in addition to the client should be taught. The nurse carefully considers when to teach recognizing that every interaction with the client is an opportunity for informal teaching and that whenever a client asks a question, there is an opportunity for teaching.

The nurse who implements client teaching must have the knowledge and skills that are to be taught and adds to this interpersonal skills and communication skills such as establishing rapport with the client and creating an environment of respect and caring. Evaluation of learning is a continuous process to determine what the client has learned. The nurse uses verbal questioning, observation, return demonstration and written follow-up to assess the effectiveness of the teaching activities. The chapter offers strategies for teaching the client who cannot read, has visual impairment, or has chronic illness.