In the context of population aging, enhancing the health of older patients has become an\nurgent issue for public health. Health education and health literacy need to be further understood\nfrom the healthcare providersâ?? standpoint to increase older patientsâ?? effective application of such\ninformation into their daily lives. We aimed to further understand nursesâ?? perspectives on the\neducation of older patients and their health literacy, as nurses are one of the frontline providers\ninteracting with older patients. In total, 16 nurses and nurse practitioners who had 5 or more\nyears of clinical experience participated. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews and emails.\nData analysis followed the thematic analysis suggested by Braun and Clarke. Five themes emerged\nfrom the analysis, as follows: attitudes that are hard to change; physical and cognitive functional\nbarriers to understanding teaching materials; family caregivers--surrogate vs. gatekeeper; major\ncontexts that moderate the elderlyâ??s health literacy; and strategies to enhance teaching effectiveness\nand health literacy. These findings illustrate the conditions pertinent to communication with older\nadults from the patientsâ??, providersâ?? and healthcare delivery viewpoints. Systemic assistance and\ninterventions specialized for older patients and their healthcare providers need to be developed and\ntested to improve clinical practice and patient health literacy.
Loading....