Essay Sample on Education Methods in Healthcare

Introduction

In the field of healthcare, education is essential in the sense that it allows health workers to acquire the required skills and knowledge to accomplish their works. Education involves a set of systematic processes which are designed in a way that they meet the objectives of learning. The said learning objectives are related to the current or the future careers of the learners. In the organizations, this takes the form of training. However, for the effectiveness of education in any organization, the methods used are essential. Various methods of education can be adopted depending on the factors within and around the organization as discussed in this essay.

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The first education method is the lecture method which is the best when it comes to enabling learners to understand the topic of learning. Depending on how variable the lecture form is, it can be less or more formal or even interactive in a way. In this method, the communication involved is in most cases one way, where the trainer or teacher communicates to trainees or students. It entails presentation of the material orally and in an extensive style (Miri, Mansor, Chasempour, & Anvari, 2014). An excellent example of how an organization could use this method involves organizations with the fashion industry. An organization can have its people team constantly experimenting with new training techniques. They can have classroom training style featuring lectures over a week where they educate on retail, emotional intelligence and retail. The effectiveness of this method can be evaluated if the trainees ask questions on the topic or act in a way that reflects what they have learned.

The second method involves discussion which involves communication in two-way between the lecturer or the trainer and the trainees to increase the opportunities of learning. The discussion method starts with a short lecture which takes approximately 20 minutes or less where the lecturer provides trainees or learners with the necessary information. Then, it is followed by trainees holding a discussion among themselves or with the trainer to support, reinforce, or expand on the information earlier acquired (Miri, Mansor, Chasempour, & Anvari, 2014). An example in which organizations can use this method involves having social and interactive classes or sessions for a certain period. For instance, an organization can have ten social and interactive sessions in a week where employees meet in groups and have a discussion. When evaluating this method, one needs to examine the resolution of the employees in a group after discussion or their response to work. It is the best way to evaluate this method since employees get an opportunity to discuss an idea whether new or unique during the discussion.

The third method of education is computer-based and e-learning. When talking about computer-based education, it encompasses any learning that makes use of the computer. Similarly, e-learning is specifically an online-based training where learners learn through a web app or website. Both the forms of learning are enabled by the use of technology and mimic lecture-based classroom teaching but only differ because of the involved distance. An example involves an organization designing programs through its website or on their computer systems to allow professionals to buy and take classes. Evaluating this method involves, considering the computer literacy of the employees, their practical performance, and work results.

Other methods of education include simulations and coaching and mentoring. Simulations involve the design of mimicking events, processes and circumstances of what the trainers do. In most cases, simulations entail visual display on the working of things and the way of doing things. An example of learning using simulations in the organization involves the manager performing a given task deemed new or complex before junior employees attempting the assignment. Coaching is almost similar to simulations where the trainer practically performs the activity before being attempted by the junior employees. Evaluating these methods involves depicting how well or perfect junior employees perform similar activities as demonstrated to them.

Information Security

Healthcare is one sector that has embraced the use of technology for multiple purposes such as keeping critical information for patients. However, the sector continues to be a lucrative target for hackers who come with weaponized ransom ware, phishing emails, and misconfigured cloud storage buckets. Organizations within the healthcare sector need to come up with ways to protect the information belong to patients. Some of these methods include the use of security mechanisms which ensure that there is less or limited access to patients' data. Security mechanisms involve physical safeguards where unauthorized staffs are not allowed to access protected health information. This involves locking of the doors of the rooms that custom computers and other devices holding information that belong to patients (Appari, & Johnson, 2010). These patient resources also need to be protected from artificial and natural disasters. Also part of security mechanisms is the technical safeguards that entail management of who access the systems that keep data belonging to patients and limiting such accessing to the system. It involves logging, data encryption, intrusion, and data integrity.

Another way the organization can use to protect the information of the patients involves considering the administrative and Personnel Issues. An organization needs to have in place personnel, plans, and policies that will help manage protected health information like the patient's data (Appari, & Johnson, 2010). This calls for the need to have the training of employees who handle this protected health information of the patients for them to work appropriately without exposing the data to wrong people. Administrative policies should be formulated for disaster recovery, breaches, and training. These policies will see everything happening within the organization, and that involve handling of the patients' information occur within a laid down policy to avoid intentional linkage of the information.

Considering the level of access to the information that belongs to the patient is an essential way of protecting such information. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is categorical on who should access the information of the patients and who should not. The provided guidelines should set the basis for the organization to limit such access to the right persons. Limiting access starts with the physical limit to the resources that act as the custodian of the confidential information of the patients (Win, Susilo, & Mu, 2006). The doors of the rooms that store records and computer systems with patients' data should be locked and only allow access by the authorized person. The computer systems themselves should be password protected, and only such password disclosed to the people who are supposed to access the same and just for the right purpose.

Organizations are expected to adhere to the high level of Handling and Disposal of Confidential Information that belongs to the patients. It is morally respectful when organizations keep the records and details of the patients confidential. At the same time, it helps the organization build and maintains trust between the doctor and the patients. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act have provided the guidelines of how to handle and dispose of the information that is confidential. Organizations are not supposed to abandon the items or records which contain patients' information or even dispose of it in receptacles of public trash. All employees within an organization should be trained on how such information needs to be handled including disposal. Paper records that contain patients' data should be burned or shredded while electronic resources should be deleted or cleaned using cleaning software.

Using Education Methods to Provide Education to Staff

Due to the prevalent of the healthcare hacking incidences developing necessary preventive measures is an essential idea that organizations need to give priority. One way of doing this is to educate the staff within the organizations on the various avenues of hacking one being phishing and spam emails. Phishing and spam emails have become an easy target by the hackers since most victims fall trap of the enticing information that cybercriminals use. Therefore, while educating staff on phishing and spam emails, there is a need to consider applying the appropriate methods. These education methods include using lectures, discussion, computer-based and e-learning, as well as simulations and coaching.

When applying the lecture method, one will require having the materials that contain detail information on the ways through which health information should be protected. These resources tend to identify the various threats to the protected health information where phishing and spam emails are identified as a serious threat to the security of the health information. The trainer will have to secure time to take the staff through the identified topic of phishing and spam emails in a classroom-based training featuring lecture. It might take a week or even two trying to communicate to the trainees on where spam and phishing emails come, who send them and why they are sent. This will be purely oral and entails the staff listing to the trainer and probably taking some essential notes on the same. Ultimately, the effectiveness of the method will be evaluated by the trainer asking trainees questions concerning phishing and spam message. They may also be expected to ask the trainer questions concerning the same topic taught in the lecture.

Discussion method may also be essential in this case when educating the staff about phishing and sperm emails. The fact that the topic entails complex vocabularies makes it necessary the team sometimes have to converse among themselves or with the trainer on the same. The staff will join groups of about 3 to 5 people where they will meet in about ten sessions for a week. In their meeting, their discussion will focus on phishing and spam messages as they try to reexamine how these messages come about, from who, why are they sent and what is the appropriate step to take once one receive such a message. The discussion will be an ideal situation for the staff to do further research on spam messages. At the end of the discussion, there will be need to tell various resolutions by the groups or the understanding of each staff within the discussion group. This will help inform on the usefulness and effectiveness of the method.

The computer-based education method can be the one best method for this case since they will use computers. The students, who are the staff, in this case, will have an opportunity to see what phishing and spam messages entail on the computers they are using. They will practically open their respective messages and examine spam emails. The trainer will guide them through the process of handling these emails and what should be done if they receive the emails. Ultimately, everyone should be able to use the computer and identify phishing, and spam emails and this will be used as an evaluation of this method of learning.

References

Appari, A., & Johnson, M. E. (2010). Information security and privacy in healthcare: current state of research. International journal of Internet and enterprise management, 6(4), 279-314.Miri, S. A., Mansor, N. N. A., Chasempour, Z., & Anvari, R. (2014). Staff Organization Training: Designing, Stages, and Methods. Procedia-Social and behavioral sciences, 129, 227-235.Win, K. T., Susilo,...