Patient teaching is an integral part of the delivery of nursing care. A highly studied, methodical approach to patient education is covered in this chapter.

There is a structural and standardized approach to patient education conducted in an individual or group setting which applies to either the formal or informal process.

Five major phases are associated with standard teaching methodology including analysis design, development, implementation, and evaluation. During the analysis phase emphasis is placed upon determining the:
1. context of the situation that created the need to learn
2. learner characteristics and needs that can influence the teaching process and learning styles such as perception, information processing, and personality
3. content or type of information that teaching should address

The goal of delivering information and teaching is not only dispensing knowledge, but it is intended to make an impact upon behavior, as well. Educators have identified three types of learning centered on cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains. Nurses can examine types of patient behavior displayed in response to the information delivered including acquiring knowledge, gaining skill, or changing attitude.

The design phase helps to organize and structure the content retrieved from the analysis. Behavioral objectives are used to identify what is expected to result from the teaching session. Drilling into behavioral objectives reveals the need to understand these elements: audience, behavior, condition (optional), and degree. The behavior objectives serve to formulate the skeleton for the teaching.

The developmental phase outlines what objectives teaching should be met with. It is important to consider the lesson plan format, types of interaction, presentation performance, and strategies. Equally important is to consider resources used such as media and materials.

During the implementation the teaching is conducted. Effective implementation requires attention to the environment, learner, presentation, and content.

Finally, the evaluation measures the effectiveness of the presentation of information and includes feedback from the participants.