Teaching the nurse to teach with health information videos.

Using health information videos is a common way to teach hospitalized patients. This article describes a study of medical and surgical patients in an acute care hospital. In Phase I, patients' frequency of Patient Health Information Television use and their knowledge of programs and scheduling were evaluated. Phase 2 identified patients' learning after viewing selected programs. In Phase I, frequency of use, peak viewer time, and viewer encouragement strategies were revealed. In Phase II, the efficacy of televised patient education was documented. Results indicate that nursing staff development educators should teach nurses how to work with this educational medium.