Web-based patient education (WBPE) has been evidenced to make patients better informed, resulting in improved decision-making and empowerment (Yin, Goldsmith, & Gambardella, 2015). Moreover, WBPE can result in improved quality of life (Cristancho-Lacroix et al., 2015). Since it is innovative, WBPE is transforming healthcare, but still, it is in line with the modern trend for empowering patients and engaging them in self-care, as well as employing technologies to these ends (Topaz et al., 2015). Therefore, this transformation furthers the already existing tendencies and can be viewed as positive.
From the perspective of nursing, WBPE needs to follow the strategies that would ensure the high quality of its content. Also, WBPE usability from the perspective of the different groups of patients (for example, with different levels of education) and its ability to result in the outcomes of interest are also important (Patel et al., 2015). All these goals can be achieved through the research of WBPE. Thus, it is essential to make sure that WBPE is also evidence-based.
Apart from the obvious requirement for specific applications and equipment to host WBPE, nurses might also need to apply other forms of technology for better results. For instance, e-mails can be used as a strategy for the dissemination of information on web-based education and a motivation improvement activity (Schweier, Romppel, Richter, & Grande, 2016). As for the decision-making strategies, nurses need to focus on informed decisions both for themselves and their patients (Johansen & O’Brien, 2015). Indeed, in the case of web-based education, it is difficult to imagine a situation when a hasty decision has to be made, but the choice of evidence-based and high-quality interventions is a requirement, which can be achieved through the thoughtful consideration of available evidence.
References
Cristancho-Lacroix, V., Wrobel, J., Cantegreil-Kallen, I., Dub, T., Rouquette, A., & Rigaud, A. (2015). A web-based psychoeducational program for informal caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 17(5), e117. Web.
Johansen, M., & O’Brien, J. (2015). Decision making in nursing practice: A concept analysis. Nursing Forum, 51(1), 40-48. Web.
Patel, S., Gordon, E., Wong, C., Grobman, W., Goucher, H., & Toledo, P. (2015). Readability, content, and quality assessment of web-based patient education materials addressing neuraxial labor analgesia. Anesthesia & Analgesia, 121(5), 1295-1300. Web.
Schweier, R., Romppel, M., Richter, C., & Grande, G. (2016). Dissemination strategies and adherence predictors for web-based interventions—how efficient are patient education sessions and email reminders? Health Education Research, 31(3), 384-394. Web.
Topaz, M., Ronquillo, C., Pruinelli, L., Ramos, R., Peltonen, L. M., Siirala, E.,… Badger, M. K. (2015). Central Trends in Nursing Informatics. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 33(3), 85-89. Web.
Yin, B., Goldsmith, L., & Gambardella, R. (2015). Web-based education prior to knee arthroscopy enhances informed consent and patient knowledge recall. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery-American Volume, 97(12), 964-971. Web.