Learner Assessment/Nursing Diagnosis
A 77 year old elderly male (Mr. Gary T.) was admitted with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). The condition was successfully managed, and the patient was getting ready to be discharged. The physical examination of a lesion on the patient’s shoulder showed the presence of a malignant melanoma, which met all the characteristics of melanomas on the ABCDE-chart (Asymmetry, Border irregularity, Color variegation, Diameter, and Elevation). Therefore, it was important to refer the patient to his treating physician for further examination including skin biopsy, histopathology, and radiographic studies to determine whether the patient will be retained or referred to a skin specialist (Jarvis, 2011, p. 23; Goldstein & Goldstein, 2001, p. 1359).
Despite knowledge deficiency and lack of prior experience regarding skin cancer management and prevention, the patient has a supportive family, he understands and can communicate in fluent English, and thus, Mr. Gary is capable of learning more about skin cancer management and prevention. However, the patient’s perception of the learning process and his self-management principles will be put into consideration when designing the teaching program. Besides, the teaching program will be culturally-sensitive and responsive to the patient/family’s socio-economic considerations. Further, age will be an important factor in choosing the treatment option and designing the teaching program considering that the patient is old, and there is a high risk that implementation may be compromised due to fatigue, drug interactions, immune-suppression, and occurrence of other health complications (Martinez & Otley, 2001, p. 1253).
Developing the teaching plan
The learning objectives for the teaching program will include ensuring that the patient recovers from skin cancer as a long-term goal, ensuring that the lesion does not cause further health complications, and teaching the patient the sun protection strategies. Other learning objectives will include discussing the availability of skin cancer treatment/management options and preparing the patient to share information regarding skin cancer management/ sun protection strategies with his family and community members (Martinez & Otley, 2001). On the other hand, the learning outcomes at the end of the learning session will include the learner’s ability and willingness to; describe various sun protection strategies, describe the beneficial and harmful effects of the sun, demonstrate knowledge of skin cancer treatment options, disseminate information learned to the family and community, and provide contact details for follow-up.
The learning process
The teaching content will include the following: the beneficial and harmful effects of the sun, skin cancer risk factors, sun protection strategies, and skin cancer treatment/management strategies. Accordingly, the patient (learner) will be enrolled into a class of 15-20 learners directly or indirectly affected by skin cancer. The teaching methods and resources will include lectures, audio-visual aided instructions (posters, print media, and handouts), guest speakers, demonstrations, oral and written instructions, group discussions, and attitude/behavior modification programs among others.
Evaluation
At the end of each teaching session, the patient will be asked to perform return demonstrations in order to evaluate the patient’s level of proficiency and knowledge consumption. Further, the patient will be provided with a simple questionnaire in which he will record his comments, which will be used to review and revise the teaching program accordingly. On the other hand, the follow-up contact details will be used to assess the patient’s level of compliance in utilizing and disseminating information (Goldstein & Goldstein, 2001).
References
Goldstein, B.G., & Goldstein, A.O. (2001). Diagnosis and management of malignant melanoma. Am Fam Physician, 63(7), 1359-68.
Jarvis, C. (2011). Physical examination and health assessment (6th ed.). St. Louise, MA: Saunders/Elsevier.
Martinez, J.C., & Otley, C.C. (2001). The management of melanoma and non melanoma skin cancer: A review of the primary care physician. Mayo Clin Proc., 76(12), 1253-65.