Evaluating and revising health education materials as a student clinical activity

Health education is an integral part of community health nursing practice. Education provides knowledge which promotes informed decision making by individuals, families, groups, and communities. Information which is distributed that is not at an appropriate level of comprehension for the reader(s) leads to frustration and lack of action by the reader(s). Nurses often assume that the literature which they distribute is written at an appropriate level for comprehension. This presentation will describe a two-part learning experience used in a community health nursing course for RN/BSN students which challenges that assumption. Students are taught how to 1) identify tools for evaluating health literature, 2) critically evaluate health education materials, and 3) revise, when necessary, the material they have evaluated. Results of the project, including application to professional practice will be shared.