Nurses' perceptions of their health educator role

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Patient Education
• Healthcare Professional Roles

Background:

• Patient teaching is a crucial nursing responsibility.
• Understanding nurses' perceptions of their patient education role is essential for improving healthcare outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and understand the role of the registered nurse in patient teaching.
• To identify nurses' perceptions of their skills, educational preparation, and role satisfaction in patient education.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was distributed to 1355 nurses in an acute care tertiary teaching hospital.
• Data analysis focused on nurses' agreement with statements regarding their patient education role, skills, and needs.

Main Results:

• Nurses generally agreed on their skills and preparation for patient teaching.
• Nurses found their patient educator role satisfying and expected by patients.
• Identified needs include more time, educational materials, peer feedback, and sufficient medical information.
• Most nurses felt patients lacked post-discharge knowledge and received insufficient information.

Conclusions:

• Registered nurses perceive themselves as skilled and prepared for patient teaching.
• Barriers to effective patient education include time constraints, lack of resources, and insufficient patient information.
• Addressing these needs can enhance the effectiveness of nursing patient education.