Cabrillo College Library

Complete this exercise by using a computer to create a word processing document and then to switch back and forth between that document and the Internet. This exercise requires that you know

• the basics of word processing, e.g., how to open up a word processing program and create a document, etc.
• how to connect to the Internet
• how to go from your word processing document to the Internet and back to the word processing program
• how to do basic researching using books, electronic resources, Internet search engines; how to cite resources used

If you are unsure about any of these skills, talk with a librarian at the Library's Reference Desk, or with your nursing instructor.

Patient education is central to health care practice. In recent years, shorter hospital stays mean that patients assume more responsibility for various aspects of care previously provided by hospitals. To prepare patients for discharge, and to enable them to manage their own health care, the nurse assesses what the patient needs to know to achieve recovery, prepares materials, teaches needed skills, and interacts with family members. Information resources of various types support these efforts. This exercise will expose you to accessing and using both print and electronic information materials for patient education.

Open a word processing document. At the top, put your name, the name of this course, "Patient Education," and the date. Select a patient for whom to develop a patient education plan. Summarize the patient's case history.

Your patient education plan will cover these areas (copy and paste the following list into your document)

1. General information about the disease/disorder
2. Medication
3. Medical equipment
4. Exercise
5. Diet and nutrition
6. Rehabilitation
7. Community Resources
8. Follow-up care

Evaluating Internet resources
Internet resources vary as to quality, reliability, and usefulness. Because the information they convey concerns health and wellness, it is especially important that nurses be able to apply evaluative criteria to the medical and health information sites they use and to which they refer patients. "Criteria for Assessing the Quality of Health Information on the Internet," a policy paper from the Health Information Technology Institute, identifies the following as key criteria:

In a related fashion, Health on the Net Foundation offers a Code of Conduct for medical and health-related Web sites. Origin of a site can be a major criterion for reliability. For example, HealthFinder is from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, and Consumer Health Information is a list of Web sites posted by the American Medical Association. Many Web resources stem from far less reliable resources. If you are unsure as to how to critically evaluate Internet resources, ask a librarian at the Reference Desk for assistance. You might also want to sign up for an Information Literacy course offered by the library.

Keeping evaluative criteria for Internet resources in mind, search books, online resources, and periodical articles for information that applies to your patient's needs and requirements. The materials and information you find form the core of what you will use to educate the patient and family members. Summarize the information in your own words and add it to your word processing document under the 8 categories. Note particularly helpful Web sites that the patient and family may wish to consult on their own; be careful to include complete URLs, and write brief annotations indicating why the resource may be particularly helpful. Document your resources. If you are unsure as to how to proceed with any of these research steps (e.g., how to do focused searching using Internet search engines), ask a librarian at the Reference Desk for assistance. You might also want to sign up for an Information Literacy course offered by the library.

Topsy N. Smalley last rev. 8/23/00