Consider resources for patient education program
What books and journals should you consider for your patient education management bookshelves? To gather some ideas for you, the editors at American Health Consultants, publisher of Same-Day Surgery, asked several successful managers what they consider their most valuable resources -- particularly which books or journals they have come across recently that they believe will help them to be more effective day-to-day on the job.
The most widely praised and recommended publication -- regarded by many as a must for any manager's collection -- is Managing Hospital-Based Patient Education by Barbara E. Giloth, MPH, CHES. This book proved to be consistently the first choice among those we polled.
Following are the five most frequently suggested and highly recommended books, plus a journal for your consideration:
* Managing Hospital-Based Patient Education. Barbara E. Giloth, MPH, CHES. Chicago: American Hospital Association; 1993. Cost: $54.95 (AHA member); $68.95 (nonmember). For ordering information, call (800) 242-2626 and ask about item No. C070194.
This book provides examples of patient education procedures and how to develop new patient education programs. The individuals interviewed by American Health Consultants repeatedly praised this book for providing a variety of examples of policies and procedures in a compare/contrast format. It was also suggested as an effective teaching tool for new patient education coordinators.
"This book is one of the best books available, because it's very comprehensive," says Nancy Goldstein, MPH, patient education program manager at the University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinic in Minneapolis. "Each chapter answers the right questions. It is always up-to-date, and the explanations are very relative to real-world situations."
Designed for patient education managers, directors of education, and nursing professionals, this text takes a practical approach to managing a hospital-based patient education program. Part I covers institutional management concerns such as strategic planning, use of committees, ways to gain support, how to create an educational environment in a hospital, quality assurance, planning, and staff development. Part II covers the design of programs for specific target populations and includes research implications, use of print and other media, the role of families in patient education, and the design of a consumer health information center. Some sample materials used by patient education managers are provided.
One shortcoming is the absence of an index to locate buzzwords (frequently used patient education terminology such as needs assessment, learning barriers, advance directives, skills mastery, and modeling ), notes Magdalyn Patyk, RN, MS, patient education coordinator at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
* Effective Patient Education.Donna Falvo. Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Publishing; 1994. Cost: $52. For ordering information, call (800) 638-8437.
This book provides guidelines on how to deliver high-quality nursing care to various patients and address problems patients encounter. It discusses care planning and nursing assessment in detail.
* The Process of Patient Education. Barbara Klug-Redman. St. Louis, MO: Mosby; 1993. Cost: $33.95. For ordering information, call (800) 633-6699 and ask about ISBN No. 0801666708.
This book includes 60 illustrations and is a useful resource for new patient education managers, especially those without an educational background, Patyk says. Included are patient education goals and outcomes, such as how to use aseptic techniques in caring for equipment and administering injections and how to give appropriate therapy for complications (such as mild hypoglycemia, insulin reaction, or skin breakdown).
* Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice, sixth edition. Brunner and Suddarth. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Publishing Co.; 1996. Cost: $53.. For ordering information, call (800) 777-2295.
* Mosby's Classification in Nursing Intervention, second edition. Joanne Comi McCloskey. St. Louis: Mosby; 1996. Cost: $34.95. For ordering information, call (800) 633-6699. The order number is 06701.
These two books are comprehensive and are a must for any patient education management collection, says George D. Velianoff, RN, DNS, former administrator for nursing at the Charleston (WV) Area Medical Center.
"Any nurse can use them, and most patients can understand the information," Velianoff says. "They are very general books and are not highly technical or loaded with jargon."
One shortcoming for both books is they are intended only for general reference, and the reader would have to refer to other texts in order to get more specific information, Velianoff points out.
* Patient Education and Counseling (journal). Shannon, Ireland: Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. Cost: $555 per year. For a sample copy or for more information, call the New York City-based Journal Information Center. Telephone (212) 633-3750.
Published nine times per year, this journal contains much-needed research information, often focusing on specific patient education programs, Patyk says. There is a paucity of published research available in the field of patient education management -- information that documents, for example, the effectiveness of specific programs, efforts to reduce length of stay, and issues such as reimbursement, she points out.
Besides research findings, this journal offers sound, practical advice. One recent article, for example, addressed the learning needs of hospitalized and recently discharged patients. *
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