Ever tried explaining a new medication or diet plan, only to watch your patient’s eyes glaze over halfway through? If you’ve been there, you’re not alone.
Teaching in nursing is one of the most rewarding parts of the job — but it can also be one of the most challenging. Medical jargon can be confusing, and complex instructions are hard for patients to absorb, especially when they’re already feeling overwhelmed. That’s where a nursing teaching plan comes in.
A well-structured teaching plan is the bridge between what you know as a nurse and what your patient needs to understand in order to care for themselves. It turns complicated instructions into clear, manageable steps that patients can follow long after they leave your care.
In this guide, you’ll find a step-by-step process, real-world examples, and ready-to-use templates to help you create effective nursing teaching plans. Whether you’re teaching a diabetic patient how to use insulin or guiding a new mom through baby care, you’ll learn how to organize, teach, and evaluate in ways that truly resonate with your patients.
What Is a Nursing Teaching Plan?
A nursing teaching plan is a structured outline designed to guide patient education. It helps you organize essential information, making it clear, manageable, and easy for patients to follow.
But a teaching plan isn’t just paperwork — it’s a vital part of the care process. It ensures that patients not only receive critical information, but also understand it and know how to use it when they leave your care. Think of it as the roadmap that takes patients from unfamiliar to confident in managing their health.
You’ll often create a teaching plan when a patient:
- Starts a new medication: Teaching a patient how to properly use insulin, anticoagulants, or other prescribed treatments.
- Manages a chronic illness: Educating a diabetic patient on how to monitor blood sugar or a heart failure patient on daily weight monitoring.
- Prepares for surgery or discharge: Giving clear instructions on post-op care, activity restrictions, or medication.
- Cares for a wound or uses medical equipment at home: Ensuring patients understand how to care for surgical sites, change dressings, or use a CPAP machine.
A well-crafted teaching plan brings structure to your education efforts and ensures that the patient leaves with the knowledge, confidence, and skills they need to manage their health effectively.
Why It Matters
Patient education isn’t just a “nice-to-have” — it’s crucial for ensuring good outcomes and improving overall patient safety. Here’s why a solid teaching plan makes all the difference:
Improves Patient Outcomes
When patients understand their condition and how to manage it, they’re more likely to follow through on treatment and make lifestyle changes that prevent complications. Educating patients on things like medication adherence, lifestyle modifications, and monitoring symptoms reduces the risk of setbacks.
Reduces Readmissions
Research from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) shows that using teach-back methods (where patients explain what they’ve learned) can significantly reduce hospital readmission rates, particularly for chronic conditions like diabetes and heart failure.
The more informed a patient is, the less likely they are to return for preventable issues.
Builds Trust
Effective teaching isn’t just about transferring knowledge; it’s about building a relationship. When patients feel heard, supported, and confident in their care plan, they’re more likely to ask questions and share concerns. This strengthens communication between you and the patient, ultimately leading to better outcomes.
Meets Professional Standards
Organizations like the American Nurses Association (ANA) and Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) recognize patient education as a core nursing competency. Documenting a well-organized teaching plan meets professional standards and ensures that you’re fulfilling your role as both a caregiver and educator.
By embracing the power of structured teaching, you ensure not only that your patients are well-informed, but also that they can apply what they’ve learned to make healthier decisions — both now and in the future.
How to Write a Nursing Teaching Plan
Writing a nursing teaching plan may sound complicated, but it’s really about organizing the knowledge you already have into a structure that’s clear, focused, and easy to follow.
The goal is simple: to help your patient understand their condition and feel empowered to manage their health.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a teaching plan that’s effective and patient-centered.
Step 1: Assess the Learner
Before you start teaching, pause and listen.
A great teaching plan begins with understanding who you’re teaching — not just what you’re teaching.
- Evaluate readiness: Is your patient alert, comfortable, and emotionally stable enough to learn? If they’re in pain, overwhelmed, or tired, it might be better to teach later.
- Identify barriers: Look for language differences, low literacy, anxiety, or sensory issues that might interfere with understanding.
- Find motivators: Ask the patient what they care about most: “What worries you about going home?” Knowing their concerns helps you focus your teaching on what matters most.
- Note learning preferences: Some patients prefer hands-on learning (e.g., demonstrations), while others prefer written instructions or verbal explanations.
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Step 2: Define Learning Goals (SMART Goals)
Once you’ve assessed the learner, it’s time to define what success looks like. Clear goals let you know if the patient has truly understood what you’ve taught.
The best way to do this? Use SMART goals — goals that are:
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Let’s break it down:
- S – Specific: Focus on one clear, actionable outcome.
✅ “Patient will list three low-sodium foods.”
❌ “Patient will understand diet.” - M – Measurable: You should be able to observe or confirm progress.
✅ “Patient will correctly demonstrate wound dressing change.”
❌ “Patient will feel confident about wound care.” - A – Achievable: Goals should be realistic for the patient’s condition and the time you have.
✅ “Patient will draw up the correct insulin dose using a pen device.”
❌ “Patient will manage all aspects of diabetes independently.” - R – Relevant: Make sure the goal aligns with the patient’s specific needs.
✅ “Patient will explain how daily weights help monitor fluid balance.”
❌ “Patient will describe the entire cardiac anatomy.” - T – Time-bound: Set a timeframe to evaluate progress.
✅ “Before discharge, patient will demonstrate correct use of an incentive spirometer.”
❌ “Patient will eventually understand how to use spirometer.”
Putting it all together:
“By the end of today’s session, the patient will verbalize when to take prescribed diuretics and demonstrate how to measure daily weight.”
Pro Tip: Always write goals from the patient’s perspective. Instead of “Teach patient about insulin,” write “Patient will demonstrate correct insulin administration.”
SMART goals make the learning process clear, achievable, and measurable.
Step 3: Select Teaching Strategies
Now comes the fun part — how to teach.
This is where your creativity meets your clinical judgment.
Some popular teaching strategies include:
- Demonstration and return demo: Perfect for teaching skills like insulin administration or wound care.
- Verbal instruction: Use short, clear explanations — no medical jargon.
- Printed materials: Keep reading levels simple (grade 6–8 level).
- Visual aids: Charts, color-coded guides, or diagrams.
- Teach-back: Ask the patient to repeat what they’ve learned to confirm understanding.
💬 Example: When teaching inhaler use, demonstrate it once, then ask, “Can you show me how you’d do this at home?” This checks their understanding and gives them a chance to practice.
Cultural and literacy considerations:
- Translate materials or use an interpreter if needed.
- Avoid medical jargon — say “water pills” instead of “diuretics.”
- Relate teaching to daily life: “Avoid canned soup because it’s high in salt.”
Pro Tip: Keep teaching focused on what matters most today. Don’t overwhelm your patient with extra information that’s not urgent.
Step 4: Implement the Plan
Now that you’ve planned the teaching, it’s time to put it into action. This is where the learning truly happens.
Tips for effective teaching:
- Create a quiet, comfortable space free of distractions.
- Keep sessions short and focused (10–15 minutes). Long lectures can be overwhelming.
- Prioritize need-to-know information first — the essential stuff.
- Involve family or caregivers when possible to support the patient’s learning.
- Provide take-home materials in plain language to reinforce learning.
🩺 Example: When teaching a diabetic patient how to use an insulin pen, demonstrate each step slowly. Then let the patient practice with a saline pen until confident. Repeat the steps as needed.
Remember, teaching isn’t just a one-time event. Reinforce key points every time you interact with the patient, especially before discharge.
Step 5: Evaluate and Document
The last step is to check if learning actually happened.
This is where the teach-back method truly shines.
Teach-back examples:
- “Can you show me how you’ll measure your insulin dose tonight?”
- “Tell me in your own words when you should take this medication.”
- “What would you do if your legs start to swell again?”
If the patient struggles, that’s okay. Reteach the information in a different way.
Document your findings:
- What you taught (e.g., insulin administration, wound care)
- How you taught it (e.g., demo, verbal, printed materials)
- The patient’s response (e.g., did they repeat or demonstrate correctly?)
- Outcome (met, partially met, not met)
- Follow-up plan (will they need another session or reinforcement?)
Good documentation is proof that education happened and confirms that your patient understood what you taught.
Nursing Teaching Plan Examples (By Condition)
Now that you’ve learned the basics of writing a nursing teaching plan, it’s time to see real-world examples of how these principles come to life.
Below are nursing teaching plans for common conditions, complete with SMART goals, interventions, and evaluation strategies.
1. Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2)
Diagnosis (NANDA):
Deficient Knowledge related to new Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis as evidenced by the patient stating, “I don’t know how to take insulin.”
Goals (NOC):
- Patient will correctly demonstrate insulin injection using a pen device before discharge.
- Patient will verbalize signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia and describe how to treat it.
Interventions (NIC):
- Demonstrate how to prepare and inject insulin safely.
- Provide a simple illustrated handout in the patient’s preferred language.
- Encourage practice with a saline pen until confident.
- Review diet basics and meal timing with insulin use.
Evaluation (Teach-Back):
Patient demonstrated proper injection, identified three signs of low blood sugar, and explained what to do if they occur.
✅ Goal met.
💡 Pro Tip: Always remind patients to rotate injection sites to prevent lipodystrophy — a common detail easily forgotten.
2. Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
Diagnosis (NANDA):
Deficient Knowledge related to fluid restriction and medication management as evidenced by weight gain and confusion about medications.
Goals (NOC):
- Patient will explain the importance of daily weight monitoring within 24 hours.
- Patient will verbalize when to contact the healthcare provider (e.g., if weight increases by more than 2 lbs overnight).
Interventions (NIC):
- Explain how excess fluid affects breathing and energy.
- Demonstrate daily weight measurement and recording.
- Provide a list of low-sodium food alternatives.
- Review timing and purpose of prescribed diuretics.
Evaluation (Teach-Back):
Patient demonstrated correct daily weight technique, stated when to call the provider, and identified high-sodium foods.
✅ Goal met.
3. COPD / Asthma
Diagnosis (NANDA):
Ineffective Airway Clearance related to improper inhaler technique as evidenced by patient reporting shortness of breath despite medication use.
Goals (NOC):
- Patient will demonstrate correct inhaler and spacer use before discharge.
- Patient will list three strategies to reduce triggers at home.
Interventions (NIC):
- Demonstrate proper inhaler technique, then have the patient repeat until correct.
- Provide a visual pamphlet showing step-by-step use.
- Teach pursed-lip and diaphragmatic breathing exercises.
- Discuss ways to avoid triggers like smoke, dust, or perfume.
Evaluation (Teach-Back):
Patient correctly demonstrated inhaler use and described how to recognize worsening symptoms.
✅ Goal met.
4. Hypertension
Diagnosis (NANDA):
Deficient Knowledge related to new antihypertensive therapy as evidenced by inconsistent medication use.
Goals (NOC):
- Patient will state the purpose, timing, and side effects of each medication.
- Patient will demonstrate accurate home blood pressure monitoring.
Interventions (NIC):
- Review medication names, doses, and timing using a pill organizer.
- Demonstrate digital BP monitor use step-by-step.
- Teach the importance of diet and exercise in blood pressure control.
- Provide a BP log and checklist for daily tracking.
Evaluation (Teach-Back):
Patient demonstrated correct BP measurement and stated when to take medication and report dizziness.
✅ Goal met.
5. Wound Care
Diagnosis (NANDA):
Deficient Knowledge related to wound care as evidenced by patient uncertainty about dressing change.
Goals (NOC):
- Patient will perform a wound dressing change correctly before discharge.
- Patient will identify signs of infection and when to call for help.
Interventions (NIC):
- Demonstrate proper hand hygiene and sterile technique.
- Walk through each dressing step using clean supplies.
- Provide printed wound care instructions and a home nurse contact number.
- Encourage the patient to explain the process back to you.
Evaluation (Teach-Back):
Patient correctly demonstrated dressing change and listed three infection signs.
✅ Goal met.
6. Postoperative Care
Diagnosis (NANDA):
Risk for Ineffective Breathing Pattern related to anesthesia effects and pain.
Goals (NOC):
- Patient will demonstrate use of an incentive spirometer every hour while awake.
- Patient will state the purpose of coughing and deep breathing exercises.
Interventions (NIC):
- Demonstrate spirometer use and record volumes.
- Teach the patient to splint incision during coughing.
- Reinforce mobility and pain management strategies.
- Encourage and monitor participation each shift.
Evaluation (Teach-Back):
Patient demonstrated correct spirometer use and explained why deep breathing prevents pneumonia.
✅ Goal met.
7. Postpartum Care
Diagnosis (NANDA):
Deficient Knowledge related to postpartum self-care as evidenced by patient asking frequent recovery questions.
Goals (NOC):
- Patient will identify normal versus abnormal lochia.
- Patient will describe two breastfeeding comfort techniques.
Interventions (NIC):
- Teach perineal hygiene and infection prevention.
- Demonstrate proper breastfeeding latch and position.
- Discuss postpartum mood changes and when to seek help.
- Provide resources and support contacts.
Evaluation (Teach-Back):
Patient verbalized all points and demonstrated comfortable breastfeeding technique.
✅ Goal met.
8. Pediatric Fever
Diagnosis (NANDA):
Deficient Knowledge related to fever management in child as evidenced by parental anxiety.
Goals (NOC):
- Parent will demonstrate correct temperature measurement.
- Parent will verbalize accurate acetaminophen dosing and schedule.
Interventions (NIC):
- Explain the purpose of fever and safe temperature control.
- Demonstrate oral and axillary temperature checks.
- Provide a dosing chart based on weight.
- Discuss hydration and when to seek medical care.
Evaluation (Teach-Back):
Parent measured temperature correctly and repeated the dosing schedule.
✅ Goal met.
9. Medication Teaching (Antibiotics / Anticoagulants)
Diagnosis (NANDA):
Deficient Knowledge related to medication side effects and adherence.
Goals (NOC):
- Patient will describe medication purpose and side effects.
- Patient will explain safety precautions during therapy.
Interventions (NIC):
- Review medication schedule and emphasize full-course completion.
- Discuss food and drug interactions (e.g., vitamin K and warfarin).
- Provide printed materials with warning signs.
- Encourage reminders or a medication log.
Evaluation (Teach-Back):
Patient restated purpose, precautions, and actions for missed doses.
✅ Goal met.
10. Discharge Teaching Plan Example
Scenario:
A 65-year-old patient with multiple comorbidities is preparing for discharge after abdominal surgery.
Plan Overview:
- Review medication schedule and purpose.
- Teach wound care, movement restrictions, and infection signs.
- Reinforce follow-up appointments and emergency contacts.
- Provide a printed discharge checklist.
- Confirm understanding: “Can you tell me what to do if your incision starts draining?”
This all-in-one plan ensures continuity of care and reduces post-discharge complications.
Nursing Teaching Plan Template
By now, you’ve identified your patient’s learning needs and written clear SMART goals.This is the point where ideas turn into action. A nursing teaching plan template helps you organize all your findings into one clear roadmap — what to teach, how to teach it, and how to measure success. It brings structure to your care and makes your teaching plan easy for other nurses, instructors, or care team members to understand and continue. The next step is to organize everything into a professional, easy-to-follow layout — your nursing teaching plan template.
Think of this template as your blueprint. It turns your observations, goals, and interventions into a structured plan that’s consistent, organized, and ready for documentation — whether for a school rubric or hospital record.
Table Columns
Most teaching plans follow four main columns, each connecting directly to the nursing process.
| Column | What to Include | Example (Diabetes) |
| Diagnosis (NANDA) | The patient’s learning need or knowledge gap. | Deficient Knowledge related to new insulin therapy as evidenced by “I’m not sure how to inject myself.” |
| Goals (NOC) | SMART learning outcomes — what the patient will be able to do after teaching. | Patient will demonstrate correct insulin injection technique within 24 hours. |
| Interventions (NIC) | Specific nursing actions used to teach and reinforce learning. | Demonstrate insulin prep and injection; provide illustrated handout; involve caregiver. |
| Evaluation (Teach-Back + NOC score) | How you’ll measure success and document results. | Patient correctly demonstrates injection, states signs of hypoglycemia; goal met (NOC score 4/5). |
This structure keeps your plan professional, logical, and easy for anyone to follow — from classmates to colleagues.
How to Personalize Your Nursing Teaching Plan
Every patient is different — and that means every teaching plan should be customized to meet the specific needs and learning styles of the individual.
Personalizing your teaching plan ensures that your patient receives the best care possible and fully understands their responsibilities, whether that’s managing a chronic condition, recovering from surgery, or adjusting to new medications.
Let’s explore how to adapt your patient teaching plan based on literacy, language, learning styles, and more.
1. Adjust for Literacy and Language
Effective teaching starts with clear communication — and sometimes, that means simplifying your language or using alternative methods to ensure your patient understands.
Here’s how to adjust for literacy and language:
- Simplify medical jargon: Use everyday language to explain concepts. For instance, replace “anticoagulant” with “blood thinner.”
- Large print and visuals: For patients with low literacy or vision problems, use larger fonts and illustrated guides to reinforce the message.
- Translate materials: If your patient speaks a different language, ensure materials are translated or use certified interpreters. This helps avoid confusion and builds trust.
🩺 Example: If a patient speaks limited English, instead of giving them a dense leaflet filled with technical terms, use illustrated guides and repeat key phrases to ensure they grasp the important points.
2. Match the Patient’s Learning Style
People absorb information in different ways. Some are visual learners, others learn by hearing or doing. The more you align your teaching to the patient’s learning style, the more successful your teaching will be.
Here’s how to tailor teaching strategies to learning styles:
- Visual learners: Use charts, diagrams, and color-coded guides to help them visualize what they need to know.
- Auditory learners: Encourage them to repeat what they’ve learned or record short explanations for them to listen to later.
- Hands-on learners: Let them practice the skill themselves (e.g., showing them how to administer insulin with a saline pen).
💡 Pro Tip: Always give patients the chance to try the skill. It’s one of the best ways to reinforce learning. Active participation helps create muscle memory and ensures that the information sticks.
3. Consider the Setting
The patient’s environment plays a huge role in how and when you teach. Whether the patient is in the hospital, at home, or in an outpatient setting, you should adjust your plan accordingly.
Here’s how to adapt based on the setting:
- Inpatient: For hospitalized patients, break lessons into short, daily sessions to avoid overwhelming them.
- Outpatient/community: Focus on home safety and long-term self-care, as well as follow-up care.
- Discharge: Keep lessons brief and focused on safety. Be sure to include take-home materials so the patient can review the information later.
🩺 Example: During discharge, a quick 5-minute demonstration on wound cleaning may be more effective than a lengthy conversation on infection theory. It’s more practical and directly applicable.
4. Involve Family or Caregivers
Teaching a patient often means teaching their family members or caregivers too. Including loved ones can reinforce learning and help the patient manage their care at home.
Here’s how to involve family or caregivers:
- Invite caregivers to participate in demonstrations and the teach-back process. This ensures they understand what the patient needs to do when they get home.
- Encourage caregivers to help with monitoring and reminders (e.g., reminding the patient to take medications or track symptoms).
💬 Example: A spouse learning how to monitor blood pressure can help remind the patient to take daily readings and track changes. This makes the process easier and more consistent.
5. Add Personalization
A good teaching plan goes beyond just the facts. It should be human-centered and reflect the patient’s needs, preferences, and motivations.
Here’s how to personalize your teaching plan:
- Motivational factors: What inspires your patient to follow through with the plan? Maybe they’re managing a chronic condition to feel better for their children or reduce hospital visits. Identify these factors and use them as positive reinforcement.
- Patient preferences: If a patient responds well to hands-on learning or written instructions, make sure your teaching style matches that. Personalizing your plan helps patients feel heard and valued.
🩺 Example: “Patient preferred hands-on teaching and requested additional written instructions in Kiswahili.”
Small details like this make the plan feel more personal and ensure it’s tailored to the patient’s needs. Plus, it shows empathy, a core component of effective care.
Documentation and Evaluation Tips (Best Practices for Clear Charting)
Good documentation is more than just a formality — it’s a critical part of patient care. As a nurse, documenting your teaching sessions ensures that the patient education you’ve provided is clear, accurate, and accessible for other team members.
Here are best practices for documenting your nursing teaching plans in Electronic Health Records (EHRs):
Best Practices for Documenting Teaching Plans:
- What You Taught: Clearly specify the topic or skill you taught, such as “wound care,” “medication management,” or “discharge instructions.”
- How You Taught It: Note the method used (e.g., verbal instruction, demonstration, printed materials, teach-back). This helps maintain consistency in patient education and ensures others on the care team understand your approach.
- The Patient’s Response: Describe how the patient engaged with the material. Did they ask questions? Did they practice a skill? This helps track whether the patient was actively involved in the learning process.
- Evidence of Understanding: Document whether the patient met, partially met, or didn’t meet the learning goals. Be specific — for example, “Patient demonstrated correct insulin injection technique” or “Patient verbalized understanding of signs of hypoglycemia.”
- Follow-Up Plan: Include any additional education or resources that will be provided, or note if the patient requires further instruction. This ensures continuity of care and keeps the education process ongoing.
🩺 Example Chart Entry:
“Reviewed insulin injection using teach-back. Patient demonstrated correct technique and explained when to check blood glucose. Provided visual handout in English and Kiswahili. Goal met.”
Why Documentation Matters
Effective documentation is vital for several reasons:
- Protects Your License: Clear, accurate records show that you met the standard of care, protecting you legally in case of any questions about the patient’s education.
- Ensures Continuity of Care: Proper documentation ensures that any nurse or healthcare provider who sees the patient next can pick up where you left off. This helps maintain a consistent approach to care.
- Tracks Patient Progress: It allows you to track whether the patient is making progress in understanding their condition and following the treatment plan. Documentation also helps identify any knowledge gaps that need further attention.
Good documentation isn’t just about meeting requirements; it’s about ensuring that patient education is part of the comprehensive care plan and contributes to better outcomes.
Conclusion
A nursing teaching plan is more than just a tool for patient education — it’s a critical part of your nursing care. By creating a structured, personalized plan, you help ensure that patients leave your care with the confidence and knowledge they need to manage their health safely.
Teaching isn’t extra work — it’s an essential part of nursing care.
Every time you teach, you’re not just transferring knowledge. You’re empowering your patients to take charge of their health, improving outcomes, and preventing complications.
By integrating these strategies and templates into your daily practice, you can make a meaningful difference in patient care. Every successful teaching session, every patient who understands their treatment plan, and every patient who leaves with the tools to manage their health independently is a step toward better healthcare for all.
Remember, great nursing is about more than just performing procedures — it’s about teaching, listening, and guiding patients toward better health. And with a well-crafted teaching plan, you can do just that.
Final Takeaways:
- Keep it simple: Use plain, clear language to ensure your patients truly understand.
- Make it personal: Adapt your plan to fit the patient’s needs and learning style.
- Set SMART goals: Clear, achievable goals make the learning process focused and measurable.
- Use teach-back: It’s the most reliable way to confirm understanding and build confidence.
- Document everything: Accurate notes ensure continuity of care and protect you professionally.
🩺 Remember: Teaching isn’t extra work. It’s the heart of nursing care. Every explanation, every demonstration, and every patient who walks away feeling confident is a victory in patient care.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
As you start creating your own nursing teaching plans, you might have some lingering questions. Don’t worry — you’re not alone! Below are answers to some of the most common concerns.
What’s the difference between a care plan and a teaching plan?
A nursing care plan is a comprehensive document that outlines the overall approach to patient care, including assessments, diagnoses, goals, and interventions. It covers the patient’s physical, psychological, and social needs.
On the other hand, a nursing teaching plan is a focused subset of the care plan. It centers specifically on educating the patient. A teaching plan helps guide the patient’s understanding of their condition, treatment, and self-care strategies.
Think of it like this:
Every teaching plan is part of a care plan, but not every care plan is a teaching plan.
How many goals should a teaching plan include?
Keep it realistic and manageable.
One to three SMART goals per teaching session is ideal — enough to cover the essentials without overwhelming your patient.
Examples:
- “Patient will demonstrate proper wound dressing.”
- “Patient will explain signs of infection.”
- “Patient will describe when to call the provider.”
If you need to cover more topics, plan for follow-up sessions rather than cramming too much into a single visit.
Can I use NANDA, NIC, and NOC in my assignment?
Absolutely!
Using NANDA, NIC, and NOC classifications adds professionalism and structure to your teaching plan. These tools help align your plan with both clinical practice and academic standards.
Here’s how they fit together:
- NANDA identifies the problem (e.g., Deficient Knowledge).
- NOC defines the desired outcome (e.g., Knowledge: Disease Process).
- NIC outlines the nursing actions to achieve that outcome (e.g., Teaching: Prescribed Medication).
Including these classifications shows you understand the full scope of the nursing process from start to finish.
Where do I document patient teaching in the EHR?
Most Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems have a dedicated section for Patient Education or Teaching Activities. When documenting patient teaching, be sure to include:
- Topic taught (e.g., wound care, medication, diet).
- Method used (verbal instruction, demonstration, written handouts, teach-back).
- Learner (patient, family, caregiver).
- Comprehension level (fully, partially, none).
- Evaluation outcome (met, ongoing, not met).
If your system doesn’t have a dedicated section, document under Interventions or Education and make sure to include a teach-back summary in your narrative notes.
What if my patient refuses or isn’t ready to learn?
This happens more often than you’d think, especially when patients are tired, in pain, or anxious.
If a patient isn’t ready to learn, don’t force the session. Document their current state and plan to revisit the teaching session later.
🩺 Example:
“Attempted wound care teaching; patient declined due to fatigue. Will reinforce when alert and comfortable.”
Respecting the patient’s readiness for learning is part of patient-centered care and ensures the best possible outcome.
