The Impact of Health Beliefs on Adult Client Education

Abstract

Quality health education is regarded as a right entitled to all clients within the health care system. Providing health education is the responsibility of all health care providers and an important role for professional nurses, social workers, and health educators. Assisting clients to make intelligent, informed decisions regarding their health needs facilitates continuity of care from hospital to home and supports a gradual return to health which helps to decrease spiraling health care costs. Client's health beliefs and health behaviors influence the adult teaching/ learning process, and it is important that health educators understand how the client's willingness, motivation, and desire to learn new skills and practices impact this learning process. This article will present principles of adult client education and explore how one process utilized by nurses can be adapted by all health educators to develop appropriate individual teaching plans.