Organizational resources in support of patient education programs: relationship to reported delivery of instruction

Two studies of patient education programs tested hypotheses regarding the relationship between structural, attitudinal, and resource variables and reported receipt of instruction by patients and delivery of instruction by providers. Three predictor variables--degree of structure for implementation, provider perception of reinforcement for doing patient education, and perceived payoffs from the program, were significantly related to measures of the dependent variable. Age of the program, administrator support for social change and staff support for the program, did not show significant relationships with receipt/delivery of instruction. Future studies might investigate: how coordinative functions are carried out rather than whether a coordinator for the program has been named, the relationship between financial condition of the hospital and ability to deliver patient education services, and the relationship between patient education resources and outcome variables such as health care services used and cost. Research about resources necessary to ensure adequate delivery of instruction to patients is as important as is research about resources necessary to ensure adequate delivery of instruction to patients is as important as is research about the design of instruction.