[Patient education in practice-a workshop in a small group]

The aim of the workshop was to work out concrete plans and steps for implementing patient education courses in an outpatient setting by the collaborative arthritis centers in Germany. Primarily the patient education model of Lower Saxony was illustrated as an example of successful implementation of patient education programs in practice. In this state patient education courses are run in cooperation between the Arthritis Center of Hannover and the League against Rheumatism in Lower Saxony. Both institutions are in discussion with the health insurance companies for paying the costs for the patient education courses. Then the group discussed several important aspects which have to be considered when establishing patient education courses such as recruiting and motivating the trainers, recruiting the participants, choosing adequate rooms, fund raising and responsibilities. The participants considered the patient education model of Lower Saxony as a transferable model for every collaborative arthritis center in Germany and recommended to follow that path.