Patient education by a family nurse as a model for training residents

There is need for a practical model of patient education in the primary care setting that can also be used as a method for teaching primary care residents about patient education. This project modified a previously established and well-defined role for a family nurse in order to provide such a patient care-based learning experience for a family practice residency. Evaluation of the 18 month project showed that an average of 72 patient visits per month with charges of $482 were provided by this nurse at the same time that she was undertaking many improvements in the residency clinic's patient education system. Before and after surveys of the clinic staff and residents showed a rise in their perception of the quality of patient education (11% and 25% respectively thought it good or outstanding before, while 90% and 100% did so at the end of the project). There was also an increase in the residents' perceptions of having good personal patient education knowledge (from 50% to 88%) and skills (from 70% to 82%). The residents agreed that the family nurse role had been very valuable (76%) and that they would be interested (35%) or very interested (53%) in having such a person in their future practice, since it appeared to them to be cost-effective (69%). This model appears to be a feasible and acceptable way to deliver and teach patient education.