Patient education--new trends in Sweden

Patient education has a long history in Sweden and the field of diabetes care has been in the forefront of the development since the last 20 years. It is now well recognised that patients with chronic diseases must know how to handle their situation and that the long-term outcomes very much depend on how successful they are in their endeavour. More recently, patient education was also provided outside the medical services. Group education and a new role of the educator as a tutor and facilitator has emerged. Education is imparted more and more in the form of experiential learning.