An instructional technology for patient education

A review of the literature on patient education disclosed a high degree of consistency regarding the necessary components of a patient-education program. These components fall into three broad categories: design, implementation, and evaluation. Using these components as criteria for effective patient education, a survey of hospitals was undertaken to determine how closely these criteria are adhered to. Of 200 hospitals sent the questionnaire, 120 responded. Results show that patient educators adhere to the design and implementation components with high to moderate frequency but do little with respect to the evaluation components.