ESSENTIALS OF PATIENT EDUCATION
This comprehensive textbook offers information on many aspects of effective patient teaching for undergraduate nursing students and practicing clinical nurses. Chapters include Learning Theories, Learning Styles, Writing Behavioral Objectives, Simplifying the Readability of Printed Educational Materials, and Issues Related to the Use of Technology.
The book is accompanied by access for nursing instructors to a free online instructor's resource manual. The online site includes downloadable PowerPoint(TM) slides, which are timesaving for lecture preparation or online instruction. Each chapter has an accompanying online instructor resource document that includes items such as multiple-choice questions, matching items, extended response items, review questions, and learning activities.
Helpful appendices include a glossary and information regarding readability and comprehension tests. Contact names, addresses, and phone numbers are provided for resources and organizations for special populations.
The drawbacks to the text are that the reference lists for the chapters need to be updated because the most recent publications are from 2001. Also, there are no Web sites listed for resources and organizations for special populations. Finally, the terms "compliance" and "noncompliance" are used in regard to health behaviors of learners. I, like many nurses, have difficulty with these terms. This is because they downplay the importance of patient choice in the selection of behaviors. The authors of the chapter do note the controversial nature of the use of these terms in nursing.
Overall, I recommend this as a useful text for undergraduate nursing students and for clinical nurses. In particular, I think clinical nurse educators and clinical nurse specialists would find this a helpful reference for designing and evaluating patient instructional materials.
Reviewed by
Valerie S. Eschiti, RN, MSN, CHTP, AHN-BC
Assistant Professor Wilson School of Nursing
Midwestern State University, 3410 Taft Blvd
Room 328, Wichita Falls, TX 76308
Ms. Eschiti is a reviewer for DCCN
[email protected]