Implementing structured teaching methods for patients with mental illness

Health literacy is defined as a person's ability to comprehend basic health information and utilize that information to make appropriate decisions regarding their health. Recent statistics show that 47% of adults in the United States can be considered functionally illiterate. Given that such a large percentage of the general public is affected by low literacy, it will be important for clinicians and medical institutions to make changes to the way they provide patients with education. The inability of patients to comprehend information regarding their health can be directly correlated with poor health outcomes. The purpose of this public health education initiative is to train mental health crisis response clinicians on the importance of providing patients with education utilizing a structured teaching method. Structured teaching methods have been shown to have positive impacts on patient outcomes while also serving as a method to help reduce patient re-admission rates. In a recent study, it was shown that the implementation of a structured teaching method of providing health education to patients with heart failure lead to a reduction in the facilities re-admission rate by approximately twelve percent. It is hypothesized that instituting a structured method of patient teaching with clients who have mental illness will help reduce the number of re-admissions and increase patient satisfaction in regards to comprehending the education they received. Efficacy of the initiative will be based on direct patient feedback, and readmission statistics from 2013 compared with 2012.