Health care illiteracy is a subject near and dear to my heart. Having spent the majority of my career in home health and hospice where I got to spend quality time with patients and their caregivers and loved ones, this issue became very evident in the patient education process. This field affords nurses the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with patients and follow through for a short while to see the effects and hopefully improved outcomes. We all learn in similar and yet different ways. I know I’m a visual and tactile learner. If I can’t watch and touch and do, it’s almost impossible sometimes. So to hand me a…
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Core Competencies and the Continuum of Care
The high cost of health care has to be managed. This requires patients to learn about their own health conditions, and how to manage them appropriately so as to avoid setbacks and complications. Patients must take responsibility for their health status and practice wellness. In order to do this, patients have to be well educated about their medical status. Across the continuum of health care, patient education begins in the physician’s office and carries through to the after hours care, the urgent care and emergency room, the hospitalists and the home health care team. Each professional and team builds on the education and assessment of the patient’s status and how…
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GMA Airs Segment on Denture Cream Poisonings
Last week, Good Morning America aired a segment on zinc poisoning as a side effect of overuse of denture creams. They interviewed Ellen Isaacs, a patient suffering from neurological symptoms as well as Eric Chaffin, a partner at Bernstein Liebhard LLP, who has filed several lawsuits against the makers of Super PolyGrip and Fixodent for not warning consumers about the possible risks of overdose of zinc from using too much of their product. You can view the GMA segment here: http://www.consumerinjurylawyers.com/denture-adhesive-cream/good-morning-america.html Please help to educate the public about the possible harm from overusing denture creams. When used in small amounts as directed, the creams are apparently safe. People who have…
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Having a Boring Student Rotation?
So you’re bored with your Post Partum rotation. Well let this be your first lesson that nursing is not about YOU; it’s about the patients and the excellent level of care you are giving them! This rotation may not give you the adrenalin surge that you get in the ER or the ICU, but these patients are just as important. They need your help, understanding, education and caring. So rise to the occasion and meet this challenge. Not every patient will present you with a specific set of tasks or procedures to perform. You need to figure out what kind of care they need. If nothing else… where are their…
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Nurses: Educate Your Patients About Medications!
Heath Ledger’s death from an acidental overdose of medications points out the need for patient education! Americans are often way too medicated. If one doctor won’t provide a prescription they seek out another. But the problem isn’t just with those seeking pain killers, sleeping pills and/or anti-anxiety medications and mixing them. As a home health nurse I have seen people with several versions of the same or similar medications such as anti-hypertensives or other cardiac drugs because they see so many different doctors and no one is overseeing the care. I’ve had many patients on Lisinopril for instance who were also prescribed Prinivil or Zestril by another physician. (These are…