How A Patient Education Tool Promotes Patient Safety Related to Pharmacology

How A Patient Education Tool Promotes Patient Safety Related to Pharmacology

Explains how a patient education tool promotes patient safety related to pharmacology and how the tool benefits both patients and nurses.

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How A Patient Education Tool Adheres to The Principles and Practices of Cultural Competence

Explains how a patient education tool adheres to the principles and practices of cultural competence, including differences of gender and age, and describes how the tool could be modified for other individual differences.

Write a 500-750-word essay on the influence patient education has in health care using the experiences of a patient. Interview a friend or family member about that person’s experiences with the health care system. You may develop your own list of questions. Suggested interview questions: Did a patient education representative give you instructions on how to care for yourself after your illness or operation? Did a health care professional, pharmacist, nurse, doctor, or elder counselor advise you on your medication, diet, or exercise? Who assisted you at home after your illness or operation? Do you know of any assistance services, i.e., food, transportation, medication, that would help you stay in your home as you get older?

Patient Education Essay Sample

After diagnosis of the patient with low back pains, there are important measures that the patient can take in order to avoid future pains and as well avoid the occurrence of pain after a normal activity. Apparently, the patient should be aware of the causes of the back pain. The paper is a health care plan for a patient suffering from low back pains

Low back pains mainly results from back disorders or spinal disorders. This back disorder may occur because of overuse of the spine or back. Furthermore, the condition can result from systematic illness. The patient presented signs of back pains in the lower abdominal region, which appear localized in the lumbar spine radiating to the legs (Graves, 2013).

The most prevalent causes of back pains are mechanical disorders. Muscle strains, osteoarthritis, herniated intervertebral disc and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis and spinal stenosis. Muscle trains occur due to sustained physical activity, which causes acute pain when the body is in a twisted posture. Thus, while giving patient education, it is important to inform the patient on the risk causing factors such as muscle strains. The patient should review his physical activities because they might be the causes of the abdominal pain (Graves, 2013).

In addition, osteoarthritis is a condition where the intervertebral discs become narrowed. If the patient increases pressure on the adjacent vertebrae, the body presumes a growing spurt in response to the pressure. The pain occurs because of nerve impingement in the lower back region. On the other hand, herniated intervertebral discs cause back due to the pinching of the spinal nerve. The herniated intervertebral disc occurs because of increased muscle spasms. If the nerve impingement continues, the condition leads to loss of muscle strength, muscle sensation and reflex. Therefore, it is important to educate the patient on the risk causing factors and how they can be reduced (Buttarp, Trybulski, Polgar & Sandberg-cook, 2013).

Spinal stenosis is a condition where the canal through which the spinal cord passes becomes narrowed. This condition results from bone spurs, which grow around the spinal ligaments and spinal joints. The pain caused increases during normal activities such as walking, standing and the pain reduces through sitting. In addition, diffused idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis results from excessive growth of bones (Graves, 2013). In order to avoid pains experienced during the normal activities, the patient should avoid participating in strenuous activities. Apparently, the patient should have periods of relaxing after a long walk and after participating in an involving normal activity such as a long walk. Treating this disorder involves taking medicine aimed at relieving the pain.

Patient education does not aim at addressing the problems leading to the illness, but also the best practices to achieve fast recovery. Example, it is vital educating patient against common beliefs, which are not right. On the other hand, most patients experiencing back pains perceive that a bed rest will relieve the problem. According to physicians, back pain does not reduce with bed rest. Patients should avoid bed rests and continue with their normal physical activities. However, patients should not take part in exercises until the pain is treated (Kaye & Urman, 2011).

Ice massages are necessary to relax the back muscles. Nevertheless, ice massages are necessary if the pain experienced is below 48 hours. However, if the pain experienced persists for over 48 hours then heat massage is important. Anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drugs, aspirin and acetaminophen, can be used to reduce the back pain condition in emergencies where the patient experiences limited motion. Massage therapy is important mostly for patient with chronic muscular pain. Similarly, patients with localized back pain in the lumbar spine benefit from massages. In cases where the condition is severe, there is a need for surgery. However, most patient fear undergoing surgery and patient education may help them overcome the fear. Therefore, if there is a need for surgery the medical practitioner should address the patient on what the surgery will achieve. This will enable the patient’s perception become positive (Kaye & Urman, 2011).

The goal for patient education is to reduce the chances for the condition reoccurring or stabilizing the condition. Patient with reoccurring back pains should seek regular medical consultation to improve the progress of their diagnosis. Thus, the medical practitioner diagnosing the patient with back pains should educate the patient on the importance of ensuring they receive regular check-ups. Regular check-ups reduce the chances of the condition growing to severe cases. More so, the patient should also ask questions regarding the best practices in tricky situations. In some cases, the patient ask about the complexity of their physical activities. Similarly, they may ask on the causes of the back pains (Buttarp, Trybulski, Polgar & Sandberg-cook, 2013).

Consequently, patient education should also reach the patient’s support system. The support system should receive education pertaining to the best practices in case of emergency. This will improve the cognitive ability for the patient’s support system.

The level of acute care progress regarding from patient education depends on the perception of the education by the patient. It is important for patients to understand that they are in their recovery process. Some patients characterize high levels of stress and discomfort with their condition. This reduces as the level of the diagnosis progresses. Therefore, patient education should achieve complete patient involvement in their recovery process.