Patient Education

• Patient has the right to receive instruction about how to manage their own health needs

• Medical Assistant or Health Educator is the person of choice

• Nutrition knowledge and chronic diseases anatomo-physiology is recommended

Patient education

• Most of patients will be adults

• Adults prefers a group learning atmosphere

• Motivation incentives• Education will be

affected by reading level, use of vocabulary, ethnic, etc

Teaching Methods and strategy

• Lecture• Role Play• Case Problems• Demonstration• Contracting• Use of significant other• Past experiences• Group teaching• Programmed instruction• Simulation(games)• Test of knowledge• Printed handouts• Diagrams• Models• Film

Road blocks to effective patients learning are

• Ordering, commanding and directing patient to learn

• Warning or threatening

• Moralizing or preaching

• Judging

• Criticizing

• Name-call, stereotyping, labeling

• Sarcasm

Teaching the older adult

• Older patients abilities, motivations and social circumstances differ from younger patients

• Slowed processing time

• Decreased short-term memory

• Decreased dexterity

• Increased anxiety over new situations

Patient Education

• Handling noncompliance (problem of all ages, but children has less)

• Patients with good relation with their providers are more compliant

• Medical Assistant can reinforce learning and reduce noncompliance

• Medical assistant can follow up patients education progress

Nutrition

• Nutrition includes all the process involved in using food for growth,repair,and maintenance of the body.

• Includes ingestion, digestion, absorption and metabolism

Nutrition and Diet

• The study of nutrition is performed by nutritionist and dietitians

• Typical American diet contains too much fat, too many calories, too much cholesterol, too much salt,not enough fiber and insufficient complex carbohydrates

Digestion

• Conversion of food into chemical substances that can be absorbed into the blood

• Physically breakdown, diluting and dissolving food.

• Proteins are broken into ammoniacids,carbohydrates into monosaccharides and fats are absorbed as fatty acids and glycerol

Classification of Nutrients

• Nutrients are the organic and inorganic chemical substances found in food that supply the body with necessary elements for metabolism.

• Certain nutrients (carbohydrates,fats and proteins) provide energy

• Other nutrients like water. Electrolytes minerals and vitamins are essential to metabolic process

Carbohydrates• Main source of energy from

food• Simple

sugar(monosaccharide of glucose,galactose and fructose

• starches (complex sugars) and fiber (cellulose) found in plants

• Carbohydrates provide 4 calories of energy for every gram of carbohydrate

Proteins

• Also called the “building blocks of the body since they for the base for every living cell.

• A protein is linked together like a chain with 20 amino acids,11 can be produced by the body and 9 must be obtained from the diet

• Proteins are necessary for growth and repair of tissues,provide the framework for bones,muscles and blood and energy production

Fats

• Also called lipids, can be classified in saturated and unsaturated. Fat do not dissolve in water

• Fat is necessary to carry Vitamins A, D,E, K

• Saturated fat is produced by animal sources, meat,eggs, lard and dairy products

• Unsaturated fat are found in vegetable oils and fish oils

Water

• Considered a vital nutrient necessary for survival

• Water compose 50-60% of the human body

• Recommended daily amount to be ingested 6-8 glasses

• Water sources are most fruits and vegetables

• Main functions are: Carry oxygen and nutrients to cells, regulate body temperature,prevent dehydration,remove waste products from cells

Types of diets• Clear liquid diet (clear

soup, plain gelatin, black coffee)

• Full liquid diet (all liquids are allowed,soup,milk, strained fruit)

• Mechanical soft diet (recommended for patients who have dental problems)

• Bland diet (no seasonings or fibers that irritates)

• BRAT diet (children)

Types of diets

• High protein diet (recommended for patients recovering from bone injuries)

• Diabetic diet (must consider type of insulin,severity of diabetes, level of exercise, calories necessary to maintains patient’s weight

• High residue/fiber diet (heart problems, prevent colon CA )

• Lower residue diet (Low fiber diet)colitis,diarrhea, indigestion, colostomy

• Low-Fat/Low Cholesterol Diet

Emergencies and First Aid

• Medical Assistant plays a very important part in a team composed by a MD,RN,PA,NP,etc

• The primary assessment (pt’s name, age,sex, chief complaint,medical history,meds, allergies, brief medical examination,vital signs

First Aid kit and Crash cart

• First aid kit contains assortments of airways,bite block, manual resuscitator,splinting materials,bandages and dressings, tape.

• Must be simple and compact

• Both, first aid and crash cart contents should be determined by the physician and office staff

Emergencies• Airway obstruction

• Abdominal pain

• Allergic reactions

• Amputation

• Asphyxia

• Childbirth

• Bites and stings

• Severe bleeding

• Burns

• Electrical shock

• Cardiac arrest

Emergencies and First Aid

• Cerebrovascular Accident (stroke)

• Chest pain

• Convulsions

• Diabetic crisis

• Epistaxis

• Fractures

• Heat and cold exposure

• Fainting (syncope)

• check table 4-6