Patient education. A review of the issues

Patient education has become an increasingly important area of research during the last 30 years. This review examines the variety of issues within this field during the last decade. It concludes that preoperative education has proven beneficial in the subjective and objective improvement of patient recovery, particularly when procedural information and coping skills are provided. Further research is needed to determine the effects of sensory information, the timing of information provision and patient personality. Patient education programs should be interactive; this is particularly true for children, where such programs need to be age-specific. Lack of coordination of education services (due in part to the territoriality of patient educators), in addition to inadequate training of physicians and nurses, and absence of commitment by administration, are all significant barriers to effective patient education today. Finally, further reflection on the motivation behind patient education is needed. Many would argue that patient education has been used to serve the needs of the health care professional (through compliance) rather than empowering the patient. Implications for future research and recommendations for implementation are offered.