Evaluation of standardized teaching plans for hospitalized pediatric patients: a performance improvement project.

Discharge teaching in a pediatric hospital setting is difficult because the situation involves multiple learners, time constraints, and differing skill levels of nurse teachers. Shortened length of stay forces nurses to complete patient education efficiently. Unstructured education can lead to failed learning, as evidenced by readmissions and postdischarge feedback. A performance improvement project was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of standardized teaching plans for diabetes mellitus and infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Preliminary data indicated a passing score of at least 90% on posttests by all learners, suggesting that standardized teaching plans may help nurses complete prescribed discharge teaching.