Page 418 - Encyclopedia of Nursing Research

PATIeNT SAFeTY n 385

plain language instructions easily under- patient education information. Return dem-
stood by many populations. In addition, onstrations for procedures reinforce immedi-
these programs are often provided in vari- ate learning, assessing health literacy needs P
ous languages to address the ethnic mix of will determine whether written instructions
different populations. Web-based programs are appropriate, and a mix of verbal teaching,
provide a unique opportunity to allow for illustrations, and multimedia may further
just-in-time training for informed consent engage the patient and his or her caregiver.
before procedures, symptom management The nurse as patient educator is a critical role
and instructions for care after discharge that extends beyond the walls of an institu-
during hospital stays, and the availability to tion to the outside community and to advo-
retrieve the education programs for review cate for health policy that will improve the
at home for patients who have home com- care environment.
puters. With technology advances, this may
spread to other electronic formats such as Alyson Blanck
MP3 players and cell phones, allowing for
more flexibility in the delivery of patient
education for disease management as well
as health promotion topics for the general Patient safety
population. The Internet allows for more
access to health-related information, afford-
ing individuals the ability to easily research It has been more than a decade since the
symptoms and disease information before Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) seminal report,
seeking medical attention. The benefits when To Err Is Human, which spotlighted the prob-
used appropriately may yield a more edu- lem of patient safety and reported that tens
cated patient who may validate symptoms of thousands of Americans die each year as a
and seek medical attention. The challenge result of human error in the delivery of health
lies in Internet sites that may contain false care (IOM, 2000). In subsequent IOM reports,
or misleading information, which either pro- it was noted that care should be (1) safe, (2)
vide wrong or potentially harmful informa- effective, (3) patient centered, (4) timely,
tion or solicit money for “miracle” products (5) efficient, and (6) equitable (IOM, 2001).
that may not be approved by the FDA, may Additionally, the IOM noted that nursing is
not produce the advertised outcome, or may inseparably linked to patient safety, empha-
even be harmful. sizing that poor working conditions for
Patient education is paramount in assist- nurses and inadequate nurse staffing levels
ing patients to make informed decisions threaten patient safety and increase the risk
regarding their care, to establish healthy of error (IOM, 2004). However, despite some
lifestyle behaviors, and to learn disease impressive results by groups such as the
self- management during times of illness. Institute for Healthcare Improvement, patient
Depending on the learning style of the indi- safety remains a grave concern today.
vidual, there are various ways to provide Despite the slow pace of improvement,
patient education through verbal, writ- some of the lessons we have learned are
ten, illustrative, and multimedia venues to incredibly powerful. The first is the con-
enhance learning. With both health liter- cept of latent errors, which are defects in
acy and diverse ethnic mixes in population, the design and organization of the system.
careful attention is required to deliver infor- Furthermore, to improve patient safety, we
mation in a form that is easily understood. need to design systems that prevent adverse
In addition, it is paramount to determine outcomes resulting from errors and near
the level of understanding after providing misses. The implication is that we need to