Patient Education Plan for an Epilepsy Case of a Hispanic Family Unit Essay

Patient education is best when viewed as a personal way of conducting interpersonal communication between two people: the teacher and the learner. The learning process follows a method that should be apt per case and per person, centering more on the side of the learner and the attached circumstances, context, and environment. For clinical teaching that is bound by dynamic interrelationships and interactions, successful teaching and learning requires understanding three things: the learner, the learner, and the learner. It is best to come up with a patient education plan that would suit the specific case for a successful processing of the teaching and learning methods. Main Body The case In a given case wherein a Hispanic family, having low social economic and education status, and one that speaks only the Spanish language, acquires an epilepsy case on one of the parents’ male child (about 10 years old), extensive teaching is primarily needed to educate the parents and the patient on how to take care of an epileptic person. With the obvious lack of knowledge on the child’s disease, it is very obvious that they need to learn what the illness is all about, how it affects the child, how it would affect the family, and what they can do to lighten the effects of the said illness. The strategy should be dependent on the given case†¦ taking note of the basic challenges, such as the family’s lack of knowledge on the disease, their rigidity in terms of language, culture, and education, as well as the state of the child being male of Hispanic culture. The basic goal should be for the parents (and the patient) to understand essentially what the illness is all about, or what they should do during the attacks. The strategy The patient education plan is composed of five basic steps that should be processed effectively: first is the assessment stage; second is the planning stage; third is the implementation stage; fourth is the checking stage; fifth and final is the evaluation stage. For the assessment stage, we calculate the communication level of the learners. Significant issues have something to do with the ability to read and write, to understand and to be mindful of the said event. It would also be good to measure the level of willingness or the readiness to learn, the overall acceptance, and the basic attitude that they have. These are detrimental in designing the strategy that should match the specific context and case. Most probably the case would reveal a not-very-willing attitude, lack of motivation and acceptance, and an approach that centers on privacy and confidentiality. They would most probably choose to tackle the issue in a more private and personal way, with a need to leave their faith and ego intact by revealing that their case is not very life-threatening or very severe. For the planning stage, we design the things that they would need to know, as based on the assessment of needs that was conducted on the learners. It is definite that the general information on epilepsy should be included in patient education. Yet, before focusing on the basic facts about the illness, there first has to be some lectures centered on the following issues: first, the need for willingness by explaining how the child badly needs their support; second, the readiness to learn by revealing the things that they can do in order to help the child; third, the overall acceptance by explaining the general facts about epilepsy; finally, a motivated outlook by revealing to them that people are willing to help them and their child in battling over the disease. Reflecting over the case, it would be harder to give lectures on Hispanic people without learning how to communicate with them effectively. It would be best to find a nurse or medical employee, who is Spanish-speaking, who has a heart to help people, and who speaks effectively so as to motivate the learners more easily. For the implementation stage, the information can be sent by means of lecture, handouts, discussion, or demonstration. However, because the issue includes methods of treating the child during convulsion attacks (e. g. , putting spoon in the mouth, holding or speaking calmly to the child), it would be best to use methods that are conducted in face-to-face education and training. It would be best to instigate the use of lectures, discussions, and demonstrations. It is important, however, to choose a speaker who would be able to convey the basic ideas effectively. It is not important whether the lecture finishes in a day, a week or a month. What is more important is that the learners are able to grasp their mission concerning the child, and that there is nothing new or unusual about their having a sick child. It would also be best to include only the parents during the lecture period because the general biological pattern of the illness might frighten the child. The child can be included, however, during the discussion period, when the subject is being tackled more lightly; and during the demonstration period, when the focus shifts to practical methods used in handling the child. The checking stage can be conducted weekly during meetings with the physician. It is important that the parents and the child develop a personal bond with both the physician and the nurse for best treatment of the case. As for the evaluation stage, this is done only temporarily after the processing of patient education. In truth, however, patient education should go on until the time that the patient is already cured of his or her illness. Conclusion To deal with patients is to deal in a personal way. Given the specific case, this would probably mean having to find ways that would financially help the family in dealing with the challenges. The lack of knowledge and education mean longer and more meticulous methods in implementing the strategy. Being of Hispanic culture, male children are being regarded as the very hope, future, and foundation of the family. In using targeted individualized patient information, we come up with a strategy that is more effective, suitable, and appropriate.