Overview of Education on Health Care and Change December 7

Introduction
 For a long time, Health care and teaching were pursued by religious orders.

 Even prior to the coming of the religious orders to the Philippines, “Albularyo” or local doctors
already had been tending to the health needs of the community.

 They relied on indigenous ways and materials of treating the sick.

 Good teaching is more than mere intellectual challenge.

 It is a very thorough discipline, which demands, among others, adaptability, inventiveness and
creativity.

 Principles and practices of teaching enable teachers to adapt various methods and techniques of
teaching

Health Education
 Refers to the act of providing information and learning experiences for purposes of behavior
change and improved for health of the client.

 The acquisition of knowledge through exchange of information from the teacher and the learner
facilitates better understanding of the need for change.

 Is the totality of experiences which favorably influence habits, attitudes and knowledge relating
to individual, community and racial health.

 “ A process with intellectual, psychological, and social dimensions relating to activities that
increase the abilities of people to make informed decisions affecting their personal, family and
community wellbeing.”

The Process of Health Education

 Health education consists of learning experiences that promote behavior conducive to good
health.

 It provides the tools for developing physical, emotional, spiritual and sound mental health.
  Physical health- activities or learning experiences that helps promote the ability of the body to
function accordingly.

 Emotional health – ability of an individual to cope with stress and strain as one faces the
realities and challenges of daily life.

 Mental health- enable an individual to make correct judgments or sound decisions.

 Social health – ways an individual can relate well with others regardless of status or position.

 Spiritual health – activities that will help an individual recognize and accept the supernatural
aspect of divine healing.

Green and Ottoson(2012)

 Posited that health education is based on the. assumption that “ beneficial health in both
children and adults results from the combination of planned, consistent, integrated learning
opportunities.

 This assumption rests on direct evidence from the evaluation of health education programs in
schools, worksites, medical setting, and the mass media.

 “ The challenge for the educator is to find the most productive ways of influencing voluntary
individual and community behavior without violating individual freedom.”

The process of health education has certain key aspects:

1. It is a planned opportunity of learning through information about health guided by specific
goals, objectives, activities and evaluation criteria.

2. It occurs in a specific setting.

3. It is a program of series or events that introduces concepts at appropriate learning levels.

4. It is based on what was previously learned in order to determine what is to be learned in the
future.

5. It comprehensively emphasizes how the various aspects of health interrelate and how health
affects the quality of life.

6. It includes interaction between the qualified educator and learner.

Purposes of Health Education
1. A means of propagating health promotion and disease prevention.

 Its purpose is to contribute to health and well-being by promoting lifestyles, community

actions and conditions that make it possible to live healthful lives.

Health education describes the interrelationship of the learner’s mental, emotional, social and
physical health. It serves to analyze how environment and personal health interrelate in ways
that enhances health, thereby reducing client risks.

2. Used to modify or continue health behaviors as necessary.

 Determines the role of an individual to be self-reliant

 Strategies for health maintenance and risk reduction.

 Identifies short and long term consequences of various behaviors.

Health education provides information on injury prevention and management strategies for
potential health problems to maintain personal, family, and community health. Health
education continues to demonstrate ways of avoiding and reducing health threatening situation.

3. Provides health Information and Services

 It also demonstrates the ability to evaluate resources from home, the school and the
community that provide health information.

 Used to assess the cost and availability of health care services

 Health education provides health information, products and services in the maintenance
of good health.

4. Emphasizes on Good Health habits and practices which is an Integral aspect of culture, media
and technology.

 Health education evaluates the influence of culture on the health behaviors and care
services which people get from health care providers.

It evaluates the effect of media, technology and other factors on personal, family, and
community health.
 5. A means to communicate vital information to the public.

 Health education helps the family, peers and others to communicate their needs, wants and
feelings effectively to enable them to resolve health conflicts and problems.

This is done to communicate care, consideration and respect for themselves and others. It also
helps analyze possible causes of conflict and in the formulation of strategies for solving
interpersonal conflicts without harming oneself or others.

6. It is also a form of Advocacy

 Health education evaluates the effectiveness of various methods of teaching to express health
information and ideas.

Types of Health Education

a. Biological – information about human biology and hygiene. The nurse provides health
information about the human body and how to take care of it.

b. Health Resources – health services which direct the individual regarding the “sensible” use of
health care resources.

c. Society and Environment – an environment in which health choices are made.

This is concerned with national, regional, and local education policies, which are often pursued
and implemented without considering health consequences.

Dimensions of the Health Education Process

Health education is a complex process that requires eclectic knowledge, skills, and values on the part of
the educator.
Heidgerken’s Conceptual Model of the Total Educational Process for Nursing
Heidgerken (1971) described the four (4) dimensions of educative process:
1. Substantive or curricular dimension

2. Procedural or methodological /dimension

3. Environmental or social dimension

4. Human relations or interactional dimension

1. Substantive or curricular dimension

 Refers to the subject matter specific to nursing education.

 Best embodied by the phrase with “what is taught and what is learned”.

 Also refers to providing opportunities for nursing students to acquire essential knowledge, skills
and attitude.

2. Procedural or methodological dimension

 Consists of strategies or methods of teaching which motivate students to learn.

 These are learner activities in teaching concepts ranging from those planned by the teacher to
those self-initiated by the students in their quest for knowledge.

3. Environmental or social dimension

 Refers to physical and social factors in the teaching-learning situation.

 It also refers to extrinsic factors that capture the interest of the learner.

 It makes students adapt to varying changes in order to see the difference between what is ideal
from what is real.

 Physical factors refer to the actual setting where learning takes place, include the following:

a. The classroom, equipped with audio-visual materials

b. Laboratory settings such as skills laboratory, RLE laboratory

c. Home-based and modern or traditional hospital set-ups;

d. Community health agencies

The crucial aspect of the environmental dimension of learning is the human or social factor, because
relationship between teacher and learner determines the quality of the learning climate that prevails.
4. Human relations or interactional dimension

 Considers the relationship of the nurse educator with individuals involved in nursing care
practice, which influence the effectiveness of the teaching and learning process.

It includes the following:

a. The learners- recipients of knowledge

b. The teacher- source of knowledge

c. Administrator – resource allocator

d. Group of learners- who use the holistic knowledge in a discipline

e. Patient- end-users of nurses’ teaching & learning experiences

f. Nursing service personnel knowledge of and training support for students

g. Allied health personnel and their group interaction

Aspects of Health Education

1. Behavioral Sciences
a. Psychological Predispositions

b. Environmental Reinforcement

c. Socio-cultural Context

2. Public Health
3. Education

1. Behavioral Sciences

• Primary determinants of behavior as follows:

a. Psychological predispositions such as attitudes, knowledge, beliefs, skills and

experiences

b. Environmental reinforcement- family, friends, authority figures and associates

c. Socio-cultural context- sustained societal norms such as attitudes and behavior

2. Public Health

 Health promotion is a common function in public health agencies.

 Health education relies on public health and health statistics for epidemiologic information
 3. Education

 Refers to the study and practice of teaching and learning which plays a vital role in the
development of health education.

Importance of Health Education

 Health education is a system of teaching and learning process.

 It facilitates common understanding among people in a social structure to modify behaviors,

make decisions and change social conditions in ways that are health enriching.

Importance of Health Education: Aims

1. Enhance knowledge awareness

Provides guidance and instruction to all that will help individuals or group of individuals
maintain a high level of wellness.

2. Promotes health, safety and security of the people

Promotes personal hygiene, environmental sanitation and maintenance of a hazard free

environment

3. Develop and improve community resources

Help individuals gain knowledge and understanding of the different community health agencies
who can provide health care services.

4. Increase productivity and strength of character

Help develop productive individuals who can adjust successfully and live happily

5. Disease prevention

Promotes individual and public health awareness on prevention of disease using various health
care strategies and for the state to be the home of healthy and productive citizens.

6. Minimize cost

Knowledge and awareness of the people regarding health promotion and disease prevention
minimize health care cost

7. Self-reliant behavior

Health education provides information and services necessary in fostering independent

behaviors or self-care attitude conducive to health.
The Change Process
 Change is inevitable in all aspects of human life, hence there is continuing need to reevaluate
and improve the educational process in order to meet the evolving needs of the learners.

The following guidelines may help affect change in learners:

1. Perceive the need for change

Change is a necessary ingredient to modify or improve teaching and learning to attain progress

2. Initiate group interaction

Teacher must initiate and motivate to think critically

3. Implement the change one step at a time

Change must be done gradually

One at a time

To have orderly and systematic process

Safeguard undesirable adverse effects of change

4. Evaluate the overall results of the change process and make further adjustments

Helps identify strengths and weaknesses

To provide remedial measures

Allow gradual process of change

Managing Change

1. Thinking-Practice Strategy

- assumes that learners are rationale beings with mental faculties and behave according to their
personal beliefs, interests and motivation

2. Interest and Commitment Strategy

- assumes that learners always act consistently with their desire to change and commitment to socio-
cultural norms of behavior

3. Power and Self Discipline Strategy

- makes learners comply with instruction given by the teacher as an authorative figure in order to bring
change
Factors Affecting Change
 Change is part of learning desired by both the teacher and the learner.

 Constraints and difficulties are often encountered as the learner undergoes the process of
change.

Barriers to change:

1. Culture

Determines beliefs and values--important to the learner that may delineate her potential
development for change

Others compete with change, welcome change and resist change

2. Demographics

Pertains to learners age, gender, heredity and environment

3. Socio-economic Conditions and Environmental Circumstances

Learner's adaptability, flexibility and capabilities in creating change that influence quality and
quality of response

4. State of Wellness and development

State of well-being and development relates to physical, emotional intellectual and spiritual
health

Change and Its Effect on the Filipino Health Value System

Following are some medical health remedies used by Filipinos :

1. Home Remedies

Eg. Use of oils, ointments often Chinese in origin which serves as “ cure-all” for relaxing, heating,
and comforting the body muscles

2. Traditional healing techniques

The use of herbal medicinal leaves such as “lagundi”, banaba

Used as treatment of various diseases

3. Supernatural Healing or the Use of Faith Healers

Supernatural healing is a holistic and uniform approach to healing, which incorporates belief in
the concurrent physical, emotional, and spiritual state of the patient
4. Regulated drugs or medicines

Are researched based drugs commonly referred to as regulated “ prescription drugs”

Produced and manufactured by pharmaceutical companies

5. Over-the-Counter Drugs

Non- prescription drugs or medicine mostly produced & manufactured by pharmaceutical

company