Pt Teaching & dealing with Q&A....help!

[UnbrokenRN09, BSN]

As a new nurse I have discovered that patients can really ask some tough questions sometimes about their disease process or treatment and I have no idea how to answer their questions and have a hard time maintaining a competent image. I feel so horrible when I have to simply say "I don't know". I always try to look up the answers to the questions, but sometimes I still don't have a good answer. At the very beginning I'm sure I BS'd a few things out of panic for being seen as incompetent and didn't want my patients to not trust me, but I have grown enough to realize that I need to just say "I don't know" when I don't know.

I have a hard time breaking down the material into laymen's terms since we're taught all the proper terminology in school....I tend to want to teach the patients in the way that I was taught....and they stare at me blankley. This is definitely one of my weaker areas, so I was just wondering how any of you nurses out there have learned to cope with this and become good patient educators.

I've also got a feeling from many patients that they simply don't care....like everything I say goes in one ear and out the other. These are the one's who when they tell you what medications they take it's a blue pill twice a day and green pill every morning...etc. Is there anything you can do to get through to these patients? My workplace really stresses patient education, so I'm just trying to make sure I'm at least up to par on this.

[NajRNBSN]

i think most new nurses have this and it takes time. once you get used to the diseases you see, the patients, and the meds you will be able to say "well usually..." for right now dont say "i dont know." at least say "let me look into this and ill be back." if your nurse or doctor said "i dont know" it might be scary to hear if its about something serious. go out of the room and check your info available on the floor-medication books, bring a med-surg or whatever speciality you are in get a book so you can look things up, ask your fellow staff!!! they know you are new. it will all become easier in time to say "oh we do this" or "usually..." trust me i was an "i dont know" and then id go ask someone but then i stopped the "i dont know" and said let me get back to you, or let me go find you some info. my hospital has med sheets for patients or even booklets about some diseases.

and overtime you will realize some patients care and some do not. you cannot make the obese patient with new onset diabetes simply understand to diet and exercise. you can give information, evaluate their understanding, and provide them with resources. i dont think it is bad about the blue pill, green pill. some take so many meds and that is how they do it and some of these med names people (even nurses) cant properly say themselves.

[Up2nogood RN, RN]

I wouldn't say 'I don't know', what I say sometimes when unsure of a question is 'if you can give me a few minutes I can get some handouts for you to read at your own pace'. It takes time be able to educate the patient when you're a new nurse but you'll get the hang of it. You might want to review your pt populations diagnoses in a patho book on your off days, the more you talk about the easier it is to remember too. Most importantly though I always tell my patients that each person is different and that their tx may be different from someone else's and they should ask their MD about specific concerns and questions regarding their disease and treatment plan.

[RedhairedNurse, BSN, RN]

You should NEVER say "I don't know" to a patient. It's okay if you don't know but never communicate this to your patient. What you need to say is, 'I don't have the answer for you now but I will find out and let you know.'

Can you give some examples of what your talking about regarding being unable to communicate teaching because you only know it in nursing 'terminology?' For some reason, I'm not understanding what you're trying to say here.

You can take your nursing books to work with you if you have a lot of questions on disease processes, but as far as teaching people in layman terms, it shouldn't be that difficult finding layman terms to substitute medical terms.