The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #46293

Melissa Sutherland, BS, MS, RN, Decker School of Nursing, Binghamton University, P.O.Box 6000, Academic Building B, Binghamton, NY 13902, 607-777-6024, msuther@binghamton.edu

The nurse practitioner's focus on patient education is one of the more notable differences between the profession and other providers. Research has shown that the amount of new information an individual can handle is "seven pieces of information, plus or minus two". Unless practiced extensively, new information is forgotten almost immediately, "decaying in as little as 18 seconds". These limitations and research findings support the health care provision of written instructions to the patient. The purpose of this project was to improve patient education and overall patient satisfaction at a rural upstate New York primary care practice. Participants included patients and staff. Participants were conveniently selected to fill out an investigator-developed patient satisfaction scale. In addition, patients were provided with appropriate patient education in the form of investigator-developed Care Cards. The setting of the project was a rural upstate New York primary care practice. Methods of analysis used to analyze the data included T-tests for independent samples and frequencies. Findings suggest that written patient education materials may improve overall patient satisfaction at primary care settings. The impact of the project suggests that professional nurses and nurse practitioners focus and incorporate written patient education materials into their practice.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• List common patient diagnoses in a rural primary care setting.
• Articulate the process used to enhance patient knowledge about common illnesses/conditions addressed during office visits at a rural primary care setting.
• Evaluate patient education programs in primary care settings.
• Describe important characteristics of patient education programs.

Keywords: Education, Primary Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.