Excellence in Patient Education: Evidence-Based Education that "Sticks" and Improves Patient Outcomes

The patient education process has 4 equal components to be addressed by the nurse: assessment, planning, implement, and evaluation. Excellent patient education is an "art" and "science" using nuances and evidence-based strategies to effectively educate. The assessment and evaluation components often use nuanced approaches (motivational interviewing, teach back) to engage the patient/caregiver respectfully, whereas planning and implementation rely more on evidence-based strategies such as the Patient Education Assessment of Materials. Nurses should provide education that is simple, patient centered, and multimodal to meet the health literacy needs of patients/caregivers.