[Public patient education in pneumology]

Since February 1990 public information evenings pertaining to respiratory tract diseases have been held every month in the cities of Fellbach, Backnang and at times in Waiblingen. These sessions have met with a great show of interest from patients, doctors and the public in general, as indicated by the consistently large number of over 100 participants. This continual educational work with its accompanying measures, such as, asthma-sport, breathing exercises, and books and videos on loan, represents an effective alternative to the formally structured, patient training programs limited to a specific time period. A broad range of effectiveness is attained by engaging public media in the informative process.