Measurement of Tools in Patient Education (ed 2), Barbara K. Redman. New York, Springer Publishing, Inc., 2003. 474 pages, hardcover, $69.95.
There is a strong need for measuring patient education. This entire book is devoted to that purpose. The first major section is on the description of tools. Ten chapters are devoted to effective ways to evaluate basic patient education needs. It then addresses specific pathological states. These are diabetes (10 chapters); arthritis and other rheumatic diseases (6 chapters); asthma (9 chapters); cardiovascular illness (8 chapters); cancer (5 chapters); pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting (11 chapters); and health promotion, disease prevention, and increasing quality of life (5 chapters).
The total measurement, using all the scales, will result in very increased insight into the quality of clinical nursing care. This will be especially true for the errors of omission in care. The presence of three entry levels among the staff will certainly reveal errors of omission as a one to one outcome according to preparation. The less knowledge the more opt are the errors of omission to occur. This has been demonstrated by research, yet there is not a concentrated drive to be be the same as other professions. This raises a question of ethics-is it unethical to have so much variation in care when it could be greatly reduced by having collegiate preparation. The other professions clearly accept this ethical premise.
An in-depth and careful reading of the clinical measurement tools will give the momentum to the usefulness of scientific standards as a professional obligation throughout the entire care process. It certainly should give the strongest basis for the interdisciplinary cooperation required to keep pace with the very rapid expansion of both science and technology. The less the scientific depth of preparation, in comparison to other professions, the less will be the total contribution of nurses in the health management of all types of patients. The very large number of contributors to the text produces excellent methodologies for the measurement tools in patient education as well as the needed input into clinical preparation.