Why Is Patient Teaching Important?

Patient teaching is an important factor when it comes to nursing. The patient must be aware of the things occurring so that they can provide self-care and make medical decisions. Each and every individual should be educated on heart attacks; it’s one of the most important areas in nursing. Many people are not aware of how dangerous this could be. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States (it’s responsible for 1 of every 2.9 deaths). Research from 2009 estimated 610,000 new attacks occurs and 310,000 recurrent attacks occurred, with 37% of the affected patients died. If symptoms are recognized in a timely manner the chances of receiving more effective treatment is greatest. The recommended time for treatment is
The best thing to do is call 911. For decades, there have been issues with patients delaying treatment so over time there have been several strategies to reduce the delay, some of which include: targeting high risk groups, addressing emotional need and denial, including family in education programs, emphasizing cognitive aspects and teaching patients how to recognize symptoms. There was a study conducted to see how well this worked. The target was senior citizens because they are at a high risk for heart attack. However, patient delay still remains the most significant and unchanged obstacle in treating symptoms. Throughout time they have conducted research to collect data on the delays and they found that the shortest delays occur when the patient is in accompanied with someone else, such as a friend, co-worker or stranger. But, delays are also shortened if the patient calls
The sample consisted of 113 adults who were 55 years or older. They were required to have the ability to read, hear and understand English. The study was conducted by telephone and the participants came from places such as community centers and university employees. The sessions were conducted by two nurse educators and four to six assistants. The rehearsals had the participants act out how they would interpret and respond to symptoms of a heart attack. They were asked questions such as “What would you do if you experienced chest pain?” The participants were to take the Post-Test Cardiac Quiz which consisted of a baseline understanding of the heart attack symptoms. The response scale ranged from 1 (strongly agree) to 4 (strongly disagree). The test was scored and the participants were contacted by phone 6 months