Barriers to teaching and obstacles to learning

ADULT LEARNING- takes place not by the teachers initiating and motivating the learning process, but rather by the teachers removing or reducing obstacles to learning and enhancing the process after it has begun. The educator should not limit learning to the information that is intended but should clearly make possible the potential for informal, unintended learning that can occur each and every day with each and every teacher-learner encounter. Barriers to teaching- defined as those factors that impede the nurses ability to deliver educational services. Obstacles to learning- are defined as those factors that negatively affect the ability of the learner to pay attention to and process information. FACTORS IMPACTING THE ABILITY TO TEACH 1. Lack of time to teach Early discharge from inpatient and outpatient settings. Schedules and activities of Nurses are very demanding.

2. Lack of Self efficacy. Many Nurses and other healthcare personnel admit that they do not feel competent or confident with their teaching skills.

3. Personal characteristics of the Nurse educator. Personal characteristics of the Nurse educator play an important role in determining the outcome of a teaching-learning interaction. Motivation to teach and skill in teaching.

4. Budget (Low priority to patient and staff education.) The level of attention paid to the educational needs of consumers as well as healthcare personnel has changed significantly.

Budget allocations for educational programs remain tight.

5. Environmental factors Lack of space, lack of privacy, noise Frequent interferences due to client treatment schedule and staff work demands.

6. Absence of third party reimbursement to support patient education Some healthcare insurance are not covering additional costs for health educators. This relegates teaching and learning to less than high priority status. In the Philippines setting Nurses are considered as the provider of nursing care and the health educator as well. Moreover, what is lacking in us is the number of Nurses working in our country. Therefore the problem noted is MANPOWER instead of reimbursement.

7. Patients belief. When patient demonstrates unwillingness to learn or when their ability to learn is in question. Concerns about coercion and violation of free choice, based on the belief that patients have a right to choose and that they cannot be forced to comply.

8. Documentation. Informal teaching with no proper documentation due to insufficient time, inattention, no detail and inadequate forms. Ineffective communication between health personnel.