Erin is a post-op back surgery patient, and the diagnosis requires a lengthy and complicated recovery, therefore the patient and her family must be appropriately educated about home rehabilitation. Erin’s learning style was determined as verbal during interactions and communication in therapy settings. The patient is a student in ordinary life, and the most convenient way of learning and applying the knowledge is by writing, summarizing, and having handouts to read. The main characteristics of verbal learners are a preference to make notes, speaking skills, and a well-developed ability to group and conclude the information they heard or read (Knoll et al., 2017). Education for Erin and her family should include various sources of data and ways of memorizing it.
Three primary learning strategies were chosen considering the patient’s verbal learning style to provide her and the family with practical home care approaches. The first one is dedicated to involving the whole family in the learning process by exploring different sides of perioperative care. The physical, psychological, and social aspects of surgery and patients with the disease can be divided among the family members, so they research the medical sources and then discuss the findings. Such a teaching strategy will help the family broaden their knowledge and better deal with the surgery outcomes.
The second teaching strategy is to combine multiple sources about the diagnosis, surgery, and perioperative care to share with Erin, ask her to study them, make notes, and ask questions. She will gather information about specific topics based on readings, audio, and videos simultaneously, and writing will assist her in perceiving the data because she is a verbal learner. The online conversation can then be planned where Erin will ask her questions to the physicians and therapists. Involving the parents in consultations helps teach the whole family about proper home care (Rabbitts et al., 2017). The entire family can use the notes Erin took as handouts.
The third teaching strategy is to provide Erin with literature, handouts, and resources, then ask her to educate the family about her health conditions and treatment. The necessity to share the information will let the verbal learner study the data carefully and summarize the vital points to know to improve home care. The patient and family should contact a hospital representative who can answer her questions or assist with the sources if they require more information (Rabbitts et al., 2017). Handouts and literature have to be approved by the physician and adequately chosen according to Erin’s level of education and disease conditions.
To educate on Do’s and Don’ts, Erin and her family have to get to know the severe consequences of inappropriate actions and discuss how to avoid such situations in their home environment. The “Do’s” can be divided into things that Erin can do on her own and ones that require her parents’ assistance. Home medication must be clearly explained before the discharge and collected into a handout with the symptoms and dosage of drugs to utilize. It is necessary to discuss the list with the patient’s family and ensure they are aware of the types of drugs and capable of making appropriate choices in pain management (Borden et al., 2016). The therapist or physician needs to be involved in the creation of medication lists for the family.
Wound care requires specific education for the family member who will be responsible for it, and its worsening symptoms have to be shared with the patient. A checklist with details like incision swelling, redness, warmth, and drainage to consider can be used, and the normal wound conditions should be described (Borden et al., 2016). Erin has to be aware of the significant signs and symptoms of infections or worsening health conditions. Literature and articles from public sources like healthcare.gov can be given to educate Erin and let her make notes of symptoms she might face during the perioperative period.
Erin and her parents need to have a list of complaints and the rate of their cruciality and the contacts of the hospital, emergency unit, physicians, and therapists. The activities restrictions can be taught via the videos of how the body in post-surgery conditions might react to prohibited actions. The perioperative diet must be healthy and balanced, and it is useful to encourage the whole family to change their eating habits to maintain such nutrition (Borden et al., 2016). The dietary instructions can be provided as product lists to choose from, so the family will obtain the new menu by trying different dishes.
The best approach is to implement all of the teaching strategies because it will allow the family to gather information from multiple sources and apply it in practice and discussions and consultations. The physician can ask Erin if making notes and summarizing the data was easy for her. If a verbal learner had no difficulties grouping the information, it verifies that they understood the material (Knoll et al., 2017). It will be evident that the family is well-educated to provide the patient with appropriate home care if their questions are specific and reveal that they deeply understand the topic.
References
Borden, T. C., Bellaire, L. L., & Fletcher, N. D. (2016). Improving perioperative care for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients: the impact of a multidisciplinary care approach. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, 9, 435-445. Web.
Knoll, A. R., Otani, H., Skeel, R. L., & Van Horn, K. R. (2017). Learning style, judgements of learning, and learning of verbal and visual information. British Journal of Psychology, 108(3), 544-563. Web.
Rabbitts, J. A., Aaron, R. V., Fisher, E., Lang, E. A., Bridgwater, C., Tai, G. G., & Palermo, T. M. (2017). Long-term pain and recovery after major pediatric surgery: a qualitative study with teens, parents, and perioperative care providers. The Journal of Pain, 18(7), 778-786. Web.