Effective Teaching Strategies for Patient Education in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury in Iran

Abstract

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes multiple complications, which can be prevented or minimized, through patient education (PE). Individuals with SCI are different, according to culture, socioeconomic status, level of education, access to educational facilities, and geographic region. Therefore, different teaching strategies should be used to increase effectiveness of education. Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the perspectives of individuals with SCI, about their preferred methods of PE. Patients and Methods:This was a descriptive cross-sectional study undertaken at the brain and spinal cord injury research center (BASIR), Tehran university of medical sciences, Tehran, Iran. The participants comprised of 119 SCI persons (81 men and 38 women), with mean age of 32 ± 10.5 years, referred to BASIR clinic to receive outpatient rehabilitation, in 2012. The patients were asked about their views, concerning preferred methods of PE. Results: Most participants (94%) appreciated to be informed concerning their illness. The two most preferred education methods were educational movies by CD or DVD (44%) and lectures or face classes (36%), followed by educational TV programs (30%), brochures (24%), education via internet or computer-aided (14.3%), and, finally, educational books (2%). Conclusions: Health care providers should take into account the differences between individuals with SCI, to use effective teaching strategies. Also, they should apply appropriate teaching methods and more than one teaching strategy, in relation to the different time and situation. Effective PE, in individuals with SCI, can increase their knowledge and motivation in self-care, improve satisfaction, prevent complications and make the PE more effective.

Burden of care in primary caregivers of individuals with spinal cord injury in Iran: its association with sociodemographic factors

“…Social support includes effective training to prepare caregivers for their new role, providing educational and occupational opportunities and may be financial supports. This study corroborated that the majority of people with SCI were young men as it was implied in other similar studies in Iran 5,16,19 and other countries. 6,20 For the occupational status, we found the positive impact of the SCI individuals' employment on reducing the burden score by the caregivers.…”

“…1,2 This condition causes numerous complications, including physical difficulties such as pain, pressures, ulcer and psychological distress like depression, 3 most of which are accompanied with financial difficulties. 4,5 The SCI not only markedly impacts those with the injury, but also their family members. The individuals with SCI dependent on others for their activities of daily life in different levels, 6 and accordingly it challenges them and their families in terms of physical, social and psychological issues.…”

Personal, family and societal educational needs assessment of individuals with spinal cord injury in Iran

“…Others have shown that the preferred method of education in an Iranian population with SCI were educational movies, lectures, TV programs, brochures, online resources. 9 It is important that SCI education programs consist of active learning or contextual-based strategies and considers the different preference of patients in order better educate and prepare patients. 18,30 Limitations.…”

“…1 Many of these barriers can be mitigated by educating patients early and often by using different teaching strategies. 9 All patients with a SCI should undergo a thorough assessment of their needs. Patient's needs might be different across multiple societies with various cultures and socioeconomic status.…”

Potential of personal health record portals in the care of individuals with spinal cord injuries and disorders: Provider perspectives

“…13 SCI/D represents a lifelong condition that necessitates self-management to reduce complications and achieve a high quality of life. [14][15][16][17] Individuals with SCI/D exhibit high levels of health information seeking, [18][19][20] including frequent use of health professionals as information sources and internet use for health maintenance. 18,20,21 A cross-sectional analysis found that adoption of VHA's PHR portal among Veterans varied significantly by condition, and that Veterans with SCI/D were among the highest adopters.…”