Post-Operative Management and Nursing Care Using The Nursing Process Part 2

3.2. Importance to educate patient

Patient education helps patient with learning and understanding of his/her diagnosis and treatment, gaining active self-care attitude, and getting rid of feeling “weakness” due to illness.

The aim of therapeutic patient education is the prevention of complications and the improvement of quality of life. Patients are trained in skills useful in self-management of their health condition and in adapting treatment to personal situations.

Therapeutic patient education is provided by health professionals trained in educating patients. Therefore, training of health professionals plays a central role in developing effective patient education.

Patient education is based on the principle of patient-centred approach. The patient-centred approach includes patient’s beliefs, cultural properties, expectations, hopes and thoughts on source of disease to the scope of healthcare.

In the trainings given, patients’ individual characteristics, their values, families and surroundings, conditions of perception of disease, their perspectives on illness, disease and hospital experiences are important.

Patient education requires consideration of interaction between individuals in the family.

The health problem that exists in one of the family members often influences rest of the family, result in changes in roles and lifestyle, which closely affects the patient’s recovery process. Therefore, the patient must with continuity and integrated with healthcare.

It contains patient-specific differences. This education must comply with patients’ lifestyle and his/her disease.

Patient’s attitudes towards adaptation process (coping with disease, health beliefs and socio-cultural perceptions), requirements, ability to maintain self-care, disease-related treatment, care, psychosocial support, information about hospital and other healthcare institutions.

Patient education is a team work, performed by healthcare professionals who are trained on this. It is important that healthcare workers have competent communication skills.

In studies conducted, it is indicated that patient education positively effects decreased anxiety, increased satisfaction reducing costs, decreasing morbidity and mortality, and shorten duration of hospitalization (an integral part of quality patient care.

In addition to many positive effects on patients, patient education also effects health care systems positively. Patient education also assists the success of knowledge and skill levels among health workers and the adequate financing and organization of the necessary programs in the current healthcare system.

Patient education is planned, organized learning experiences designed to facilitate voluntary adoption of behaviours or beliefs conducive to health. It is a set of planned educational activities that are separate from clinical patient care.

The activities of a patient education program must be designed to attain goals the patient has participated in formulating. The primary focus of these activities includes acquisition of information, skills, beliefs and attitudes which impact on health status, quality of life, and possibly health care utilization.

Patient training is not just a technical practice. At the same time, it is a set of objectives and values. It has a unique philosophy. With these qualities, education is an important issue for today’s society.

Postoperative care begins immediately after surgery. It lasts for the duration of your hospital stay and may continue after you've been discharged. As part of your postoperative care, your healthcare provider should teach you about the potential side effects and complications of your procedure.