Health education

Target high risk groups and age ranges that would benefit most from
health education
Target needs identified in healthy people : national health promotion and
disease prevention objectives, or other local, state and national needs
Identify internal or external factors that may enhance or reduce
motivation for healthy behavior
Determine personal context and social cultural history of individual, family
or community health behavior
Determine current health knowledge and lifestyle behaviors or individual,
family or target group
Assist individuals, families, and communities in clarifying health beliefs
and values
Identify characteristics of target population that affect selection of learning
strategies
Prioritize identified learner needs based on client preference, skills of
nurse, resource available, and likelihood of successful goal attainment
Formulate objectives for health education program
Identify resources needed to conduct program
Consider accessibility, consumer preference, and cost in program planning
Strategically place attractive advertising to capture attention of target
audience
Avoid use of fear or scare techniques as strategy to motivate people to
change health or lifestyle behaviors
Emphasize immediate or short-term positive health benefits to be received
by positive lifestyle behaviors rather than long-term benefits or negative
effects of noncompliance
Incorporate strategies to enhance the self-esteem of target audience
Develop educational materials written at a readability level appropiate to
target audience
Teach strategies that can be used to resist unhealthy behavior or risk
taking rather than give advice to avoid or change behavior
Keep presentation focused and short and beginning and ending on main
point
Use group presentations to provide support and lessen threat to learners
experiencing similar problems or concerns as appropiate
Use peer leaders, teacher and support groups in implementing programs
to groups less likely to listen to health professionals or adults as
appropiate
Use lectures to convey the maximum amount of information when
appropiate
Use group discussions and role playing to influence health beliefs,
attitudes and values
Use demonstrations or return demonstrations, learner participation and
manipulation of materials when teaching psychomotor skills
Use computer assisted instruction, television, interactive video and other
technologies to convey information

Use teleconferencing, telecommunications and computer technologies for

distance learning
Involve individuals, families and groups in planning and implementing
plans for lifestyle or health behavior modification
Determine family, peer and community support for behavior conducive to
health
Utilize social and family support systems to enhance effectiveness of
lifestyle or health behavior modification
Emphasize importance of healthy patterns of eating, sleeping, exercising,
etc to individuals, families, and groups who model these values and
behaviors to others, particularly children
Use variety of strategies and intervention points in educational program
Plan long-term follow-up to reinforce health behavior or lifestyle adaptions
Design and implement strategies to measure client outcomes at regular
intervals during and after completion of program
Design and implement strategies to measure program and cost
effectiveness of education, using this data to improve the effectiveness of
subsequent programs
Influence development of policy that guarantees health education as an
employee benefit
Encourage policy where insurance companites give consideration for
premium reductions or benefits for healthful lifestyle practices

Health Care Information Exchange

Identify refering nurse and location

Identify essential demoghrapic data
Describe pertinent past health history
Identify current nursing and medical diagnoses
Identify resolved nursing and medical diagnoses, as appropriate
Describe plan of care, including diet, medications and exercise
Describe nursing interventions being implemented
Identify equipment and supplies necessary for care
Summarize progress of patient toward goals
Identify anticipated date of discharge or transfer
Identify planned return appoinment for follow-up care
Describe role of family in continuing care
Identify capabilities of patient patient and family in implementing care
after discharge
Identify other agencies providing care
Request information from health professionals in other agencies
Coordinate care with other health professionals
Discuss patients strengths and resources
Share concerns of patient or family with other health care providers
Share information from other health professionals with patient and family,
as appropriate

Health Literacy Enhancement

Create a health care environment where a patient with impaired literacy

can seek help without feeling ashamed or stigmatized
Use appropriate and clear communication
Use plain language
Simplify language whenever possible
Use a slow speaking pace
Avoid medical jargon and use acronyms
Communicate with consideration for culture, age and gender suitability
Determine patients experience with the health care systems including
health promotion, health protection, disease prevention, health care and
maintenance and health care system navigation
Determine health literacy cues (failing to complete written forms, missing
appointments, not taking medications appropriately, inability to identify
medications or describe reasons for taking them, deffering to family
members for information about health condition, asking multiple
questions about topics already covered in handouts and brochures,
avoiding reading things in front of health care providers)
Obtain interpreter services as needed
Provide essential written and oral information to a patient in his/her first
language
Determine what the patient already knows about his or her health
condition or risks and relate new information to what is already known
Provide one to one teaching or counseling whenever feasible
Provide understandable written materials (use short sentences and
common words with fewer syllabies, higlight key points, use an active
voice, are in large print, have a user-friendly layout and design, group
similar content into segments, emphasize behaviors and action that
should be taken, use pictures or diagrams to clarify and decrease the
reading burden)
Use strategies to enhance understanding (start with the most important
information first, focus on key messages and repeat, limit the amount of
information presented at any one time, use examples to illustrate
important points, relate to the individuals experience, use a storytelling
style)
Use multiple communication tools ( audiotapes, videotapes, digital video
devices, diagram, etc)
Evaluate patient understanding by having patient repeat back in own
words or demonstrate skill
Encourage the individual to ask questions and seek clarification ( what is
my main problem? What do I need to do?)
Assist the individual in anticipacing their experiences in the health care
system ( beimh asked questions, seeing different health professionals,
needing to let providers know when information is not understood, getting
the results from laboratory tests, making and keeping appointments)
Encourage use of effective measures for coping with impaired health
literacy ( being persistent when asking for help, bringing a written list of
questions or concerns to each health care encounter, depending on oral

explanations of tasks, seeking the assistance of family or friends in getting

health information)
Health Policy Monitoring

Review proposed policies and standards in organizational, professional and

governmental literature and in the popular media
Assess implications and requirements of proposed policies and standards
for quality patient care
Compare requirements of policies and standards on nursing practice,
patient and cost outcomes
Identify and resolve discrepancies between health policies and standards
and current nursing practice
Acquaint policy makers with implications of current and proposed policies
and standards for patient welfare
Lobby policy makers to make changes in health policies and standards to
benefit patients
Testify in organizational, professional, and public forums to influence the
formulation of health policies and standards that benefit patients
Assist consumers of health care to be informed of current and proposed
changes in health policies and standards and the implications for health
outcomes