CLNR 404 Qualitative Methods In Clinical Research

Objective: Meeting Educational Needs for Diabetic Patients and their Families

Description

During my last placement, I got assigned to educate a diabetic patient prior to his discharge. I have handled similar cases before but this particular patient proved to be quite a challenge. The patient was a 70-year-old male whose hearing has been impaired by the ravages of time. At first, I thought he was not interested in anything I was saying just like the clientele I talked to during the initial stages of placement. During my first week of placement, I made a mess of myself when I was assigned to teach an aged couple about asthma. I did not adequately prepare myself and the couple turned out to be more informed about self-management of asthma than myself. My self-esteem took a huge dent. So I assumed that my current 70-year-old patients had looked down upon as a junior nurse. It took the intervention of my supervisor to notice his file read clearly he could not hear. The supervisor asked me to ensure that a close family member was present during the session.

Feeling/Affect

I felt really awkward during the entire session after noticing that I had missed such a crucial trait about a patient. The patient, however, proved to be quite sympathetic; through his elder daughter, who was present during the session, he encouraged me and asked me not to worry. This sort of eased the tension and improved the delivery of the content afterward.   

Analysis

Perhaps I did not take adequate time with the patient’s file. Had I done through the patient’s file word for word, I would have learned of his hearing impairment. In addition, patients’ are an integral part of the medical team. They deserve a front row seat in the management of chronic conditions such as diabetes (Pereira et al., 2015). They execute much of the care ranging from dietary choices, administration of insulin to modifications of physical activity to ensure the blood glucose is controlled all the time. Unlike olden days, modern healthcare is embracing the ideology of involving patients and family in treatment. Patients have the right to decide whether they want certain medical procedures or not as long they are over 16 years of age in New Zealand. With adequate information, patients can aid lessen the duration of hospitalization and even reduce the number of visits to the hospital.

Evaluation and Interpretation

After winding up the session, I spent about one week and read extensively on patient involvement in self-care and healthcare in general. In the quest to learn more about educational needs of diabetics, I read an article by Powers et al, (2017) who underscore that patient’s need to understand the behavioral medications and skills necessary to regulate blood glucose. During my search, it also came clear that breaking certain barriers is critical to ensuring that delivery of the content is unimpeded. The impaired hearing was a physical barrier, which without being addressed; the session could have been rendered unfruitful (Vivienne et al., 2014).

Action Plan/Outcome

I made a small handout in which I outlined the information and skills the client needed to learn. I hand was preferable because the client was a retired teacher whose reading and comprehension ability was perfect. Knier et al., (2015) advocate for use of Information, education, communication (IEC) materials that are more appropriate for the audience.  

References

Knier, S., Stichler, J. F., Ferber, L., & Catterall, K. (2015). Patients’ perceptions of the quality of discharge teaching and readiness for discharge. Rehabilitation Nursing, 40(1), 30-39.

Pereira, K., Phillips, B., Johnson, C., & Vorderstrasse, A. (2015). Internet-delivered diabetes self-management education: a review. Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, 17(1), 55-63.

Powers, M. A., Bardsley, J., Cypress, M., Duker, P., Funnell, M. M., Fischl, A. H., … & Vivian, E. (2017). Diabetes self-management education and support in type 2 diabetes: a joint position statement of the American Diabetes Association, the American Association of Diabetes Educators, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The Diabetes Educator, 43(1), 40-53.

Vivienne Wu, S. F., Tung, H. H., Liang, S. Y., Lee, M. C., & Yu, N. C. (2014). Differences in the perceptions of self-care, health education barriers and educational needs between diabetes patients and nurses. Contemporary Nurse, 46(2), 187-196.