Policy Manual sample

MDT Home Health Care Agency, Inc. IV COMPETENCY SKILLS POLICY AND PROCEDURE Purpose To provide guidelines for giving specific instruction and information to patients and the families/caregivers in relation to home care services. Policy All patients/clients will receive education and discharge planning. The scope of teaching shall be determined by the assessed needs of the patient/family as well as the medical plan of care. Education is the responsibility of each clinician and will focus on, as appropriate: 1. Facilitating the Patients/family's/caregiver's understanding of the health status, healthcare options and consequences of options. 2. Encouraging patient participation in decision-making about health care options. 3. Increasing patient/family potential to follow the plan of care. 4. Maximizing care skills of the patient/family caregiver. 5. Increasing the patients/family's ability to cope with the health status/prognosis/outcomes. 6. Enhancing the patient’s/family's role in continuing care. 7. Promoting a health lifestyle. 8. Maintaining the patient’s/family's health status. 9. Assisting the patient's/family's ability to cope with death, if applicable. Procedure 1. The primary nurse/supervisor/care manager will assess, plan, implement and evaluate the following on each patient/family as appropriate: a. The Atmosphere for a conducive learning setting. b. The Patient information needed by the patient1family in relation to the care being provided. c. The level of knowledge of the patient/family in relation to diagnoses, plan of care required activities by patient/family, lifestyle changes, etc. d. The ability and readiness of the patient/family to learn. e. Cultural and religious practices which might affect learning. f. Emotional barriers which might affect learning. g. Desire and motivation to learn. h. Physical and/or cognitive limitations as well as communication and language barriers to learning. 2. The patient's/family's knowledge, skills/behaviors are assessed on an on-going basis. Based on the above, the assessments will be used as the basis for planning patient/family education. In the event that any barriers exist to learning, these barriers, as appropriate, need to be discussed with the patient/family as well as the supervisor. If they cannot be overcome, the patients physician should be contacted. 3. When appropriate, the staff will use Agency approved patient teaching handouts, When not available, the staff will, if needed, identify available written materials to aid in the education process. 4. If a patients condition prevents him/her from participating in instruction, a family member should receive the information/instruction. 5. If a patient lives alone, and there is no able or willing individual to receive the instruction, the physician must be informed and this information documented. 6. Unless specifically ordered by the physician, all patients/families will receive verbal and as appropriate, written instruction, when indicated in: Home Health Agency Nursing Manual J-36