Factors Influencing Practice of Patient Education among Nurses at the University College Hospital, Ibadan

Abstract

Patient education is the process of influencing patient behaviour and producing the changes in knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to maintain or improve health. Health education may be general preventive, health promotion or diseases specific education. With an education system in place, patients will be satisfied with care, patients will be healthier, and will seek medical services less frequently. There is little or no documentation on the practice of patient education at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. The aim of this descriptive study was to explore factors influencing the practice of patient education among nurses at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used in selecting 200 nurses at the University College Hospital Ibadan. A self-designed questionnaire was used to collect data. Statistical package for social sciences version 15 (SPSS 15) was used in analysing data. The study revealed that the knowledge and practice of patient education among the nurses in University College Hospital was high and the knowledge was found to be significantly associated with its practice (X 2 = 7.89, p = 0.017). The working experience of nurses does not determine whether they practice patient education or not. Almost all the respondents (70% -90%) in this study affirmed that the nurses' experiences, cultural barriers, work place culture, lack of time, heavy workload, insufficient staffing, and the complexity of patients' condition were important factors that influenced the practice of patient education. In conclusion, nurses at the University College Hospital have good knowledge and positive attitude towards patient education but could not practice effectively. A more critical approach in addressing heavy workload, insufficient staffing, among others is needed to improve patient education. Further studies should be carried out on developing nurses' roles as patient educators.

Moving Into Action: The Master Key to Patient Education

“…Education is used to empower patients and is an important aspect of quality improvement, given that it is associated with improved health outcomes (Aghakhani, Nia, Ranjbar, Rahbar, & Beheshti, 2012). Education promotes patient compliance, satisfaction with care, healthy lifestyles, and self-care skills (Oyetunde & Akinmeye, 2015). In addition, patient education has also helped to decrease unpleasant patient experiences in hospitals, including reduced levels of pain and anxiety (Jafari, Olyari, Zareian, & Dadgari, 2015; Marcus, 2014; Seyadin et al, 2015).…”

“…The economic and financial burdens of health in terms of direct and indirect costs (absenteeism, social costs of disease) have increased to the extent that these threaten the financial viability of national and social insurance systems (Department of Health Systems Financing Health Systems and Services, World Health Organization, 2009). Because patients pay more for healthcare services, demand for high-quality care has increased (Oyetunde & Akinmeye, 2015). Every USD 1.00 spent on patient education on health-promoting behaviors is estimated to save as much as USD 3.00–4.00 in healthcare costs (Habel, 2002).…”

“…Patient education has long been considered a major component of nursing care. Florence Nightingale attested to teaching as a function of nursing in her treatises on nursing in 1859 (cited in Oyetunde & Akinmeye, 2015). Nurses compose more than 70% of the healthcare team, and as a result, they play a critical role in patient education (Marcus, 2014).…”

“…Therefore, nurses are in a key position to affect the lives of patients positively through education, with the potential to produce long-standing changes in patients’ lives (Seyadin et al, 2015). Although some studies revealed that nurses feel competent in the teaching role, others have pointed to lack of training and confidence as factors contributing to nurses’ reluctance to provide patient education (Oyetunde & Akinmeye, 2015). Kemppainen, Tossavainen, and Turunen (2013) reported that nurses consider health promotion important but obstacles associated with organizational culture prevent effective delivery.…”

Assessment of Patient Education Materials: Readability Formulas and Materials Assessment Tool

“…Bununla birlikte sağlık ortamında hemşirelerin, hastaların öğrenmesine yardımcı olma ihtiyacı artarken HE'nin hemşirelik bakımdaki önemi de artmaktadır. 5 Hemşire, hasta bireyin sağlık bakım gereksinimlerini belirlerken, aynı zamanda eğitim gereksinimlerini de belirler. HE süreci, birbirini izleyen ve birbiriyle etkileşim içinde olan veri toplama/eğitim gereksinimlerini belirleme, tanılama, planlama, uygulama, değerlendirme ve kayıt etme/dokümantasyon aşamalarından oluşmaktadır.…”