Define patient compliance and explain its importance in your field.
Patient compliance is the degree to which a patient follows medical advice from a nurse or physician. In most cases, patient compliance refers to medical prescriptions, but it might also apply to situations such as self-therapy, the use of medical devices, or self-care. Patient compliance is essential as it dictates the quality of healthcare a patient receives. Therefore, patients who do not comply with their physician’s instructions may suffer from substantial economic burdens and health risks. Also, patient compliance helps in retaining the pharmacological effects of the drugs prescribed.
Identify the health care professionals’ role in compliance and give examples of ways in which the health care professional may contribute to noncompliance.
A healthcare professional plays the role of making patients feel comfortable and supported in their medical plans. Ndetan et al. (2010) state that patients who receive advice from their doctors on their prescriptions are more likely to achieve quality health. Creating a trusting and transparent relationship with patients also encourages cooperation. However, healthcare professionals who disregard people’s beliefs and cultures may fail in supporting compliance. For instance, creating a medical plan that overlooks a Muslim patient’s Ramadan fasting would lead to non-compliance. Doctors, therefore, need to adjust medical plan to fit into the patient’s life and cultures.
Compare compliance and collaboration.
Compliance dictates that the patient and the healthcare provider create a mutual relationship. The physician provides the patient with medicines or therapy options that one must follow to attain quality health. In compliance, the patient trusts in the doctor’s evaluation, without adding more input. Collaboration, on the other hand, necessitates a patient’s opinions on their medication and lifestyles. Collaboration encourages adherence because the patient is involved in the treatment.
Compare and contrast patient education in the past with that practised today.
Patient education in the past was less individualized than it is today. Doctors would follow textbook procedures that summed up all similar patient symptoms and used a single treatment method. Currently, physicians use personalized processes that cater to an individual’s symptoms.
Explain the importance of professional commitment in developing patient education as a clinical skill.
Professional commitment to developing patient education as a clinical skill is essential as it facilitates high-quality services (Ndetan et al. 2016). It also prevents readmissions into hospitals, thus increasing patient satisfaction. Additionally, commitment to education allows for better communication between healthcare professionals and patients.
Explain the importance of professional commitment to developing patient education as a clinical skill.
Learning is divided into cognitive, psychomotor, and affective steps in nursing. Cognitive knowledge is essential in patient education as it facilitates the storage and remembrance of pathological processes. Psychomotor learning eases a patient’s task in self-therapy as it facilitates routine creation. Finally, affective learning aids in educating patients on the essence of positive attitudes during treatments.
List three problems that may arise in patient education and how they would be solved?
A patient may have a poor understanding of the disease and its impacts on their lives. He or she may also struggle with understanding overly complicated prescriptions. Some patients also fail to understand the benefits and risks of treatments. Medical professionals should, therefore, create simplified treatment regimes that a patient can comprehend. Also, the use of visual aids such as x-rays, endoscopies, or pictures of similar conditions may help patients understand the complexity of their diseases. Furthermore, doctors must ensure transparency in explaining the risks and benefits of all patient medications to ensure trust and patient autonomy.
List some methods of documentation of patient education.
There are many ways to document patient education. Shipman et al. (2016), however assert that the Krames on Demand method is imperative as it provides patient education in print. It also has many databases with viable information on different diseases and treatments. Therefore, doctors should use an electronic database to record patient educational content and ensure printing options for their patients.
References
Ndetan, H., Evans, M., Bae, S., Felini, M., Rupert, R., & Singh, K. (2010). The health care provider’s role and patient compliance to health promotion advice from the user’s perspective: Analysis of the 2006 national health interview survey data. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 33 (6), 413-418. 10.1016/j.jmpt.2010.06.009
Shipman, J., Lake, E., Volgen, J., Doman, D. (2016). Provider documentation of patient education: a lean investigation. JMLA, 104(2): 154–158.10.3163/1536-5050.104.2.012