Frequently Asked Questions
Chapter 28: Client Education

Why is client teaching done?

Client teaching is done to promote health, prevent disease and injury, restore health, and facilitate coping abilities.

What are the differences between external and internal barriers to learning and what are some examples of each?

External barriers are those that come from outside the individual. They include environmental barriers, such as interruptions, lack of privacy, and multiple stimuli, and sociocultural barriers, such as language, value systems, and educational background. Internal barriers are those occurring within the individual. They include psychological barriers, such as anxiety, fear, anger, depression, and the inability to comprehend, and physiological barriers, such as pain, fatigue, sensory deprivation, and oxygen deprivation.

What are some legal considerations the nurse should remember when providing client education?

The nurse should consider informed consent as well as characteristics of the client (client capability and willingness to learn). Learning materials should be delivered in appropriate, understandable language and with appropriate timing. The nurse should also ensure that the client understands the material.

What are the learning needs of clients in primary, secondary, and tertiary care?

In primary care (health maintenance), the learning emphasis of clients includes disease prevention, the availability of health care services, growth and development, safety, first aid, nutrition, and hygiene. In secondary care (diagnosis and treatment), the learning needs of client include the disease process, methods of care and treatment, and aspects of the health care setting. In tertiary care (follow-up), the learning emphasis is on care at home, medications, dietary modifications, activity, rehabilitation plans, and prevention of complications.

What are the differences among the various learning styles a client may display?

Visual learners learn by processing information they see. Auditory learners learn by listening to words. Kinesthetic learners learn by doing.

How would a nurse know that client teaching may be indicated?

A nurse would know that client teaching may be indicated when the client expresses a need for information to make a decision, must acquire a new skills, desires to make modifications in lifestyle, or is in an unfamiliar environment.

What are some factors influencing learning readiness?

Learning readiness is influenced by capability, comfort, and motivation. Capability includes maturity level, physical ability, cognitive ability, and attitude. Comfort includes basic physiological needs, safety and security, low degree of pain, pleasant surroundings with few distractions, and rapport with any available caregivers. Motivation includes the need to care for self, get well, achieve a higher level of wellness, know and understand, return to work, please others, be a “good patient,” and avoid complications and relapse.

What is “self-efficacy” and how does it influence learning?

Self-efficacy is the belief that one will succeed in attempts to change behavior. Self-efficacy is important because clients who feel they can achieve their goals are likely to have the motivation to try.

What are the interpersonal skills the nurse needs to establish rapport with a client?

The interpersonal skills the nurse needs to establish rapport with a client include a genuine interest in the client, the ability to include the client in every step of the teaching-learning process, a nonjudgmental approach, and the ability to communicate at the client’s level of understanding.

What activities can the nurse use to evaluate teaching effectiveness?

The activities the nurse can use to evaluate teaching effectiveness include obtaining feedback from the learner, obtaining feedback from colleagues, obtaining feedback about the overall client situation with respect to learning, and self-evaluation.