Question

You are caring for an adolescent in an outpatient clinic who has been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

After reading your assigned readings on STIs, develop a plan of care for this client with the NANDA-I nursing diagnosis of Deficient knowledge.

Answer 1

Nursing Diagnosis: Deficient Knowledge regarding the disease process and treatment related to new condition and treatment as evidenced by verbalizing inaccurate information and questioning members of healthcare team.

Goals and Outcomes: Patient explains about the disease state, recognizes a need for medications, and understands treatments and preventive measures.

Nursing interventions and rationale

1. Assess the child’s ability, motivation and willingness to learn. Also, note the cultural differences and learning styles.

The assessment provides baseline data to plan based on patient needs and determine the priority of learning needs within the overall care plan. A more individualized care plan can be obtained.

2. Improve the physical comfort of the patient.

Basic physiological needs of the patient have to be addressed before providing education.   This will ensure the patient is concentrating on the topic.

3. Ensure a calm and peaceful environment without interruption.    This makes sure that the patient is concentrating and focusing more completely.

4. Develop an environment of respect, openness, trust, and collaboration.        

Conveying respect is especially important in gaining the confidence when providing education to patients with different values and beliefs about health and illness.

5. Include patient in creating the teaching plan, beginning with establishing objectives and goals for learning at the beginning of the session.

          Mutually agreed goal setting allows the learner to know what will be discussed and expected during the session.

6. Provide health education role plays, story books, informative charts, visual aids like diagrams, pictures, videotapes, audiotapes, and interactive Internet websites etc.

The adolescents will give more attention to interesting learning materials.

7. Include information about the preventive method of STIs.

The knowledge on preventive measures of STIs will help the adolescent to avoid a future chance of the diseases.

8. Focus on a single concept or idea while teaching.

          This will allow the learner to focus on material or idea being discussed.

9. The nurse must give information in a caring manner, using neutral language.

The use of neutral language and the being in a caring manner will enhance the patient's confidence and trust in the nurse.

10. Use the teach-back technique

Using teach back technique the patients understanding on the topic and need for re-education can be easily assessed.

11. Share information about community resources for continuing information and support.

This will ensure the persons coping with adjustment issues. Community resources can offer financial and educational support to the patient.