Running head: Assessing and Prioritizing Learner Needs - 1

Assessing and Prioritizing Learner Needs

name

Excelsior College

Author Note

This paper was prepared for HSC434 Health Literacy Issues and Solutions, taught by Professor

Carol Shenise
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Mrs. Lund has recently had surgery to resection a malignant thoracic spinal cord tumor.

James, Mrs. Lund’s husband, has raised concerns regarding Mrs. Lund’s well-being. He has

indicated that “she was quite distressed” for several months before her surgery over the death of

her father. She lacks knowledge regarding her cancer diagnoses and is “anxious” about how she

will care for her son.

As a healthcare professional the learning needs of Mrs. Lund must be assessed to “obtain

objective data” ” (Bastable, Gramet, Jacobs, & Sopczyk, 2011, p.180). Several methods can be

used to gather this data. In Mrs. Lund’s case, we will review the pros and cons of two of these

methods.

One method to assess learning needs is an informal conversation. This healthcare

professional has an “impromptu” conversation with the patient and family members to discover

learning needs. The educator must depend on active listening skills to pick up visual and verbal

cues. The educator can gain additional insight by speaking to staff. This method may put the

patient and family at ease since it not a scheduled meeting and may cause less stress. However,

this method could produce an adverse outcome if the educator is not trained to pick up verbal or

visual clues. Also, what the educator may perceive as a negative clue could be misinterpreted

due to cultural differences. Bastable, et al. (2010) writes, “the educator’s knowledge about other

cultures and sensitivity to behavioral differences between cultures are important to avoid

teaching in opposition to cultural beliefs” (p.120).

The second method of assessing the learner’s needs is structured interviews. A structured

interview can determine what the patient knows and uncover the patient’s desires. While this is

the most common method of assessing; in the case of Mrs. Lund, this method may work best.

She has raised questions about her medical diagnosis and her husband states she maybe “over the
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edge.” The healthcare professional can ask open-ended questions to gain additional insight from

Mrs. Lund. This method can be performed over the phone; however, the educator will not see

the non-verbal cues given by the patient. The educator must remain nonjudgmental when

gathering information from the patient (Bastable, et al. 2010, p.180).

Mrs. Lund’s learning needs should be prioritized as “Mandatory”. Bastable, Gramet,

Jacobs, & Sopczyk, (2010) writes, “needs that must be learned for survival or situations in which

the learner’s life or safety is threatened” (p.109). Mrs. Lund states she did not understand what

her surgeon was saying before surgery. She has suffered the devastating loss of her father, and

her husband has voice concerned about her well-being. Bastable, et al. (2010), states that “a

learning need is a gap between what someone knows and what someone needs or wants to know.

Such gaps exist because of a lack of knowledge, attitude, or skill” (page. 106).

Specific learning needs that should be a priority in the case of Mrs. Lund are to identify

the learner. Gain an understanding of who the audience will be to receive the information. Her

husband is supportive and would be an excellent resource to help Mrs. Lund gain a greater

understanding of her medical condition. Secondly, collect data from Mrs. Lund to determine

what is important to her. Provide the patient with an opportunity to speak freely in a

nonjudgmental environment will allow the patient to share her fears and concerns. Choosing the

right setting for the education to take place is important. The educator needs to ensure trust is

built by providing a safe and confidential environment.

Educators have an opportunity to assist patients and allow them to reach their full

potential by learning the right assessment tool and ensuring the patient has an understanding of

their condition and treatment plans.

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References

Bastable, B.S., Gramet, P., Jacobs, K., & Sopczyk, L.D. (2011). Health professional as

educator principles of teaching and learning. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning