Safety, Quality, and Informatics

Running head: PATIENT EDUCATION 1

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PATIENT EDUCATION 2

Patient Education

Samantha M. Tallarine

Capella University

BSN-FP4016

Pharmacology for Patient Safety

July, 2019

Part 1 – Patient Education Tool

Patient education is an essential element in the treatment process as it is through patient education that patients and caregivers are imparted with knowledge on the disease prevention, as well as the treatment plan that needs to be observed. For this exercise, I am going to focus on the topic of Antibiotics (Amoxil/Amoxicillin) for pediatric ear infections. Below is a patient education tool for the same as presented below.

An ear infection is an inflammation of the middle ear, caused by bacteria. It is also common in people with a weakened immune system. It is treated through the administration of antibiotics, commonly amoxicillin, which should be taken for a minimum of seven days, or maximum of ten days. During this period of treatment, it is essential to take the whole dose to ensure that all bacteria are eliminated. Failure to finish the dose may lead to the development of resistance by the bacteria. It is important that one takes the right amount of the drug as prescribed by the doctor, as taking under dose or overdose may decrease the efficiency of the medication. Age and weight are the most common factors that will affect the efficiency of the medication in this dose, and therefore, it is important to provide the correct information so the doctor can choose the most effective dose.

While giving your child these drugs, it is important to be aware of the possible side effects of this drug. Nausea, diarrhea, and headache are some of the side effects that you should anticipate in your child during the medication period. When handling the drug, it is important to ensure that this drug is stored in a cool, dry place away from any form of contamination or out of child’s reach to avoid dangers that may arise from children taking the drug. During the period of treatment, it is important to ensure that your child eats well.

Part 2 – Evidence-Based Practice

According to Lorig (1996), patient education is a procedure through which people with health occupations tend to impart knowledge to the patients and the caregivers on the best practices to observe to prevent and respond to diseases, especially during the treatment process. The main objective of patient education is to allow the patients to improve on their health through a change of health-related behavior and also ensuring that patients and the caregivers follow the due process in the administration of medicine to a patient. Health education is mainly promoted through health education tools, as created in the previous part of this assignment. It encompassed a set of guidelines that patients and the caregivers need to observe to ensure that they follow the instruction as prescribed by the doctor. It also creates awareness on matters such as the side effects of the medicine used.

Patient education tool contains some sets of instructions to be followed; these instructions are a form of vital information that is beneficial for the patient and the caregivers for the process of treatment. Information, such as side effects of the medicine used, helps to do away with fears that arise when one uses a particular drug, for this case, the use of Amoxicillin in the treatment of ear infections in children can lead to nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. This is an essential piece of information that is a form of awareness to the patients and their caregivers. With such information, one can take the necessary measures if such instances occur, unlike when one may not have the information. When a person is equipped with this, it is easier for one to take good response in case one reports the said side effects when using the drug; it also removes panic among patients when taking the same medication.

On the matter of storing and handling of the drug is an important measure that greatly boosts the safety of the patients and people who may live with the patient through the information. The drug should be stored in a cool, dry place ensuring that the drug does not get contaminated. Contamination of the drug can be lead to pediatric severe methadone poisoning through the patient education tool, this awareness is created, and patients are equipped with the necessary knowledge on what they need to observe when storing medicine to avoid incidences that may result from contamination of the medicine. Keeping the drugs out of the reach of children also serves to ensure that children do not take the drugs in a dangerous dose. When poorly stored, children can gain access to the amoxicillin; this can be fatal, especially when taken in large doses.

Through the patient education tool, the quality of the healthcare services provided to the patients is greatly improved. Through this tool, patients are emphasized on the need to take the whole dose even after they feel to have fully recovered. This ensures that the bacteria causing the disease is suppressed and reduces the chance of the bacteria developing resistance according to research. Failure to finish the dosage by patients has increased the resistance of diseases causing organizations, and this has rendered many drugs to be ineffective in treating patients (Gruman et al., 2010). Having emphasized the importance of finishing the dosage prescribed by the doctor, it is possible to improve the quality of the healthcare services offered to the patients. Adherence to the dosage instruction can improve the recovery period by making it even shorter than anticipated. Through this, the quality of healthcare services accorded to people is not only improved but also made effective.

The tool is essential, as it does not have the barrier in its relevancy and its ability to impart knowledge to various groups within society. The information conveyed applies to all groups in society regardless of their gender, religion, and cultural norms. Focusing on some pieces of information passed through this tool, patients are urged to ensure that they finish the dose as instructed by the physician. This information applies to all people in the society as indeed it is true that failure to finish the dosage may lead to the bacteria developing resistance to the drug. Another important aspect of this patient education tool is that the information on good eating while taking the medication is essential and follows the principles and practices of cultural competence, this emphasis cuts across all groups in the society

In summary, the health education tool serves to be an important element in the promotion of the patients’ understanding of essential practices that they need to observe to ensure they remain safe and also improve the quality of the healthcare accorded to them by the physicians. It is through this tool that many incidences that may result from a lack of information by the patients on the matters about taking drugs. Through this tool the observance of the practices and the cultural competencies, it becomes easier for the information shared through the tool to be promoted and embraced by many people as it obeys these basic concepts and principles. Through the patient's education tools, patients are emphasized on the need to finish the dosage, store the drugs properly among many other vital guidelines hence improving on the quality of the healthcare services offered to them.

Resources

Gruman, J., Rovner, M. H., French, M. E., Jeffress, D., Sofaer, S., Shaller, D., & Prager, D. J. (2010). From patient education to patient engagement: implications for the field of patient education. Patient education and counseling, 78(3), 350-356.

Lorig, K. (1996). Patient education: a practical approach. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.