PATIENT AND FAMILY EDUCATION

PURPOSE:
To establish a health care system policy for patient/family education.

POLICY STATEMENT:
The policy of patient/family education is to:
1. Improve outcomes by facilitating understanding.
2. Encourage participation in decision-making and options.
3. Maximize care skills.
4. Increase patient’s coping abilities.

Patient and family education is provided specific to the patient’s assessed needs,
capabilities, readiness to learn, and learning preference. Financial barriers will also be
assessed.

The registered nurse (RN) and/or health care provider will assess each patient’s
need for education, and the interdisciplinary health care team will collaborate in the
further assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation when indicated.

EXCEPTIONS:
None

DEFINITIONS:
PATIENT AND FAMILY EDUCATION: Instruction provided to patient and
family includes when appropriate: information relevant to the patient’s diagnosis,
medication use, medical equipment, drug-food-interaction, nutrition interventions and/or
modified diets, rehabilitation techniques, community resources, when and how to obtain
further treatment, responsibilities in the treatment process, and discharge needs/planning.

PROCEDURE:
The health care team will assess each patient’s need for education during the
admission process, on an ongoing basis, and will provide identified patient education.
1. The interdisciplinary team will utilize available resources to plan, implement, and
evaluate patient teaching.
2. The specific role of health care providers in patient and family education will
include instruction on, as appropriate to the setting:
a. Disease Management – in collaboration with physicians and health care
team.
b. Patient Safety – in collaboration with health care team.
c. General Hygiene – to include oral health needs, as appropriate.
d. Medication use – to include any newly prescribed medications in
collaboration with physicians and pharmacists.
e. Pain Management – in collaboration with physicians and acute pain
resource staff.
f. Food-Drug interactions and nutrition interventions –in collaboration with
physicians, clinical dietitians and pharmacists.
 g. Rehabilitation techniques – in collaboration with Rehabilitation Services.
h. Community Resources – in collaboration with Integrated Case
Management, Spiritual Services/Bereavement and The Health Line.
i. Medical equipment – in collaboration with physicians, Rehabilitation
Services, etc.
j. Discharge instructions – in collaboration with physicians and health care
team.
3. All patient and family education, the response, and understanding will be
documented in the medical record. The use of teaching aids (web-based, DVD,
videos, books, tapes, etc.) and educational handouts/pamphlets will be
documented.
4. The health care team will determine if an interpreter is needed for a patient who
has a communication or language barrier.
5. Discharge instructions will be given to the patient or family, or to the
organization, or to the individual responsible for the patient’s care.

RESPONSIBILITY:
It will be the responsibility of the department director, manager, supervisor, or
designee to see that the personnel are aware of, and adhere to, this policy.