Case-Study DTD Mar19

Title: Mental Exercise
Name: DONNA F GARCIA Subject: Health Ed P&P Date: March 25, 2022
Case Study 1
(Applying Learning Theories to Healthcare Practice)
You are designing an education session for your colleagues on transitioning

from a paper-based documentation system to an electronic medical record (EMR)
system. Time is of the essence, and you have three 1- hour session planned to
cover the information they need to incorporate the new EMR system into their
daily practice. Several of your colleagues are concerned about their ability to
master the new system. Jack, the nursing unit supervisor, confides, ‘I am terrified.
Learning a whole new system of documentation is overwhelming to my staff,
given so many of their other responsibilities. I worry that this new EMR system
will have a negative impact on morale, just at the time when we are feeling
pressure to increase the amount of work that we do”.
1. Describe how you will structure the educational sessions using two of the
psychological learning theories discussed in this chapter. Explain why you
choose each theory.
Change is inevitable in any organization; employees have different reactions to

it. With the implementation of electronic health records, in this case, psychological
theories are applicable in changing employees' attitudes towards them. The new
technology is supposed to make their jobs easier. However, the supervisor
considered it an overwhelming burden, leading to low morale and more pressure
on the employee.
Educational Structures
These are simply fears that the supervisor must overcome to embrace change.
The organization will effectively adopt the new record-keeping system by applying
behaviorism and constructivism psychological theories (Illeris, 2018). Employee
behavior will change as an output of the educational sessions, which will aid in the
adoption and retention of the new technology. They must accept it to own the
electronic health record system.
Psychological theories
According to the behaviorist theory, knowledge exists outside of people. In this

case, the learner is inexperienced, which causes resistance to new technology that
he regards as a burden. Behaviorists believe that learning occurs only when
behavior changes due to the association between stimuli and responses (Lowyck,
2014). Constructivism came from the idea that people create their worldviews
based on their own experiences and knowledge (Lowyck, 2014). These two
theories appealed to me because learning and implementing new ideas is
accomplished by altering existing behavior and providing knowledge and skills
related to the new implementation.
2. Judge which learning theory can be best assist you in addressing the issues your
colleagues raise about their ability to master the new system and feelings of
being overwhelmed. Why did you choose this theory?
The behavioral learning theory is applicable to address my colleagues' concerns

about their ability to master the new system. Eventually, the changed behavior of
staff can be achieved by motivating them to use them, which they can adjust as
time goes on.
3. What can you do to ensure that learning will become relatively permanent?
To ensure that learning is relatively permanent, all those who implement this
change in practice will receive a certificate and other incentives, which will, in
turn, help to complete the work in less time and with greater security. As a result, it
will aid in the hospital's and staff's upgrading.
Case Study 2
(Determinants of Learning)
You are a member of the interdisciplinary team working with Barbara Lund,
a 36- year- old woman recovering from a recent surgical resection of a malignant
thoracic spinal cord tumor. Mrs. Lund has a supportive husband and a 2- year- old
son. Mrs. Lund’s husband, James, states, “I am really worried about Barbara
because she was quite distressed for about 6 months prior to this surgery over the
death of her father. I fear the surgery may have pushed her over the edge”.
Currently, 2 week’s status post resection, Mrs. Lund is beginning to ask team
members questions about her prognosis and potential functional abilities. She
says, “I remember my surgeon trying to explain the surgery to me, but honestly, I
didn’t really understand much of what he told me. I am a bit naive when it comes
to anything medical.” Mrs. Lund appears quite anxious about the cancer diagnosis
and about how she will be able to continue caring for her son.
1. What are two methods you might use to assess Mrs. Lund’s learning
needs? List the advantages and disadvantages of each method.
The main goal of this case study is to figure out what Barbara needs to learn.
The first step in teaching Barbara is determining her learning needs, readiness to
learn, and preferred or best-suited learning style. Finding out what she already
knows and the need to learn are the two best methods to assess these learning
needs, and the second method is the best way to teach her what she is capable of
learning (Rutten & Rowland, 2005).
Mrs. Lund's education requires an educator, which can impart through
various methods such as focus groups, informal communication, observations,
documentation, and self-administered tests.
• Structured interview can be the most straightforward method to assess a
patient through open-ended questions, which establishes a friendly and
trustful environment for the same patient.
o The advantages are that, through questions, it can cover the basics
and details of needs, and more exploration can be done about a
patient’s doubts.
o The disadvantages are that it can take time to analyze, and it
requires a well-trained professional to maintain its quality.
• Focus groups This kind of method involves more than 2 learners
accompanied with a facilitator, who can ask open-ended questions and
every learner can point out their views on it. This helps in providing a
more friendly environment than the first method
• The advantages of this method are cost-effectiveness and is
considered as an easy and simple way to learn
• Its disadvantage is that it might be costly to buy an upgraded or high-
tech human anatomy models.
2. Describe the criteria your team, in conjunction with Mrs. Lund’s

perceptions, will use to prioritize her learning needs. Give examples of
specific learning needs that will likely be a priority.
There are 3 major criteria to prioritize the learner’s needs, the mandatory,
desirable, and possible.
• Mandatory: All of the possible information regarding the patient’s
medical condition should be clearly given. In Mrs. Lund’s case,
information about the spinal cord tumor, and how it may cause effects if
treatment is not provided. The needs that must be learned by the patient
for survival situation.
• Desirable: The needs that are not life dependent but is needed for the
patient’s better livelihood. Example is the information that Mrs. Lund
might undergo hair fall treatment during radiation, it might not be so
important, but it might give confidence to the patient
• Possible: Needs for information that are “nice to know” but not essential
or required vecause they are not directly related to daily activities or the
particular situation of the learner
• Observation method, this method will develop the understanding among
employees easily. Clear undersatnding can be derived without struggles.
Listening to Mrs. Lund is essential to the team, failure to concentrate
might lead to poor judgements (Griffin & Care, 2014)
3. Which major clues indicate Mrs. Lund’s readiness to learn? Using the
PEEK model, identify potential obstacles that might interfere with her
readiness to learn.
Obstacles that prevent easy delivery of health care information

include literacy, culture, language, and physiological barriers. It is up to the
nurse to assess and evaluate the patient's learning needs and readiness to learn
because everyone learns differently.
Learners who are acutely ill like Mrs. Lund tend to focus their energies on
the physiological and psychological demands of their illness. Learning is at a
minimum because most of these individuals’ energy is needed for the demands
of the illness and gaining immediate relief. Any learning that may occur should
be related to treatments, tests, and minimizing pain or other discomforts. As
these patients improve and the acute phase of illness diminishes, they can then
focus on learning follow-up management and the avoidance of complications.
The educator must assess an acutely ill person’s readiness to learn by observing
his or her energy levels and comfort status. One observation that can signify
increased energy and comfort levels is the ability to move more readily without
becoming easily fatigued. Improvement in physical status usually results in
more receptivity to learning. Note, however, that medications that induce side
effects such as drowsiness, mental depression, impaired depth perception,
decreased ability to concentrate, and learner fatigue will also reduce task-
handling capacity. Giving a patient a sedative prior to a learning experience
may result in less apprehension, but cognitive and psychomotor abilities will be
impaired, thus requiring a longer time, more physical output, and more
frustration for the learner to master a skill (Greer et al., 1972).
Remember, also, that medical terminology in and of itself may be a foreign
language to many patients, whether or not they are from another culture. In
addition, sometimes a native language does not have an equivalent word to
describe the terms that are being used in the teaching situation. Differences in
language compound the cultural barrier. Teaching should not be started unless
you have determined that the learner understands you and that you have an
understanding of the learner’s culture
Whether readiness to learn comes from internal or external stimuli can be
determined by ascertaining the learner’s previous life patterns of responsibility
and assertiveness. When patients are internally motivated to learn, they have
what is known as an internal locus of Control. They are ready to learn when
they feel a need to know about something. This drive to learn comes from
within the learner. Usually, this type of learner will indicate a need to know by
asking questions. Remember that when someone asks a question, the time is
prime for learning. If patients have an external locus of control— that is, they
are externally motivated—then someone other than themselves must encourage
a feeling of wanting to know something. The responsibility often falls on the
educator’s shoulders to motivate them to want to learn.
4. According to the VARK model, how will knowledge of MRS. Lund’s

learning preference(s) affect your team’s instructional approach? Choose
one VARK learning preference for Mrs. Lund and describe the
instructional approach your team will use to support this preference.
Based on Mrs. Lund’s case, having a less knowledge about the cancer and it
might have made her a bit more anxious. Therefore, a complete and true
knowledge should be imparted to her. Using the VARK learning preference the
best style that needs to be applied to the patient is the visual learning. It is
because reading or listening might make her even more anxious. In visual
learning style, diagrams and charts is used to show to the patient about her
condition, how it develops and how it can be treated, this style can provide a
better understanding and bring more knowledge to the patient and can bring
down her fear.

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Title: Mental Exercise

You are designing an education session for your colleagues on transitioning

Change is inevitable in any organization; employees have different reactions to

According to the behaviorist theory, knowledge exists outside of people. In this

The behavioral learning theory is applicable to address my colleagues' concerns

2. Describe the criteria your team, in conjunction with Mrs. Lund’s

Obstacles that prevent easy delivery of health care information

4. According to the VARK model, how will knowledge of MRS. Lund’s

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