Policy Manual sample

MDT Home Health Care Agency, Inc. 185 MULTIDISCIPLINARY PATIENT EDUCATION PURPOSE: • To uphold the patient’s right to be involved, when appropriate, in his/her care, treatment and/or service decisions. • To provide patients/families/caregivers with sufficient information to make informed decisions and to take responsibility for self-management/management activities relative to the patient needs, and appropriate to the care, treatment and/or services provided. • To improve patient outcomes by educating the patient and family/caregiver with the patient’s permission, as appropriate, by promoting recovery, life-style modifications and healthy behavior utilizing a multidisciplinary approach. POLICY: • Patient/family education is a multidisciplinary, ongoing activity. Each discipline involved in the care of the patient will document on the medical record the education given relevant to the plan of care. • Patient/family education takes into account personal, cultural, spiritual and/or ethnic beliefs, emotional barriers, desire and motivation to learn, physical or cognitive limitations, and barriers to communication. • The response of the patient/family will be documented. • Education activities and the patient’s/family’s/caregiver’s progression along the learning continuum is communicated at regular and appropriate intervals to other members of the healthcare team. • When appropriate, standardized teaching tools will be utilized to encourage consistency and to prevent duplication of efforts.