Patient Education: Key to Optimizing Healthcare

1. A) Teach the patient not to eat canned foods.

B) Teach patient about his medications: their purpose, side effects, any interactions with other medications, and any other relevant information.

C) Teach patient to position slowly when transferring from sitting or lying positions to standing position. This will avoid dizziness and falls due to a sudden decrease of blood pressure.

2. Members of the healthcare that should be utilized should be a dietician (because patient eats a lot of canned foods), occupations/physical therapist (help with daily activities and to help with back pain), social worker (to help with services needed for the patient including home care nurse, local support groups, and collaborate with the family to provide optimal care), a home health aide (visit and help the patient). As a nurse, I would also reach out the patient’s primary care physician and explain the patient’s visit to the ER. Informing the primary care

-The first teaching point is to teach the patient to avoid eating canned foods. Canned foods have a lot of sodium and this can negatively affect the patient because the patient already has hypertension. As the nurse, I would explain the negative effects of canned food, contact the dietician, explain foods they can eat by telling the patient and providing them with pamphlets or articles, sit and make a diet plan with the patient. Also, I work with the family and explain to the “cook” in the family about what foods are allowed for the patient to eat and plan a diet with them and the patient. I would also allow the patient to express any concerns or questions and try to resolve them. I would also create a diet schedule for a week of what the patient to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I would also bring snacks to the patient and show them which ones they can eat and how much they can eat. For example, bring unsalted pretzels or grahams crackers and teach the patient how much they should eat and when they should eat