[Therapeutic patient education--method of optimizing treatment in chronic diseases]

The technological revolution of the 20th century has changed not only the life style but also the human interrelations, including the physician-patient relationship. The old, primarily patriarchal, system (in which the patient trusted completely the physician and followed religiously his commandments) evolved into the current system in which the patient is an active partner in medical care. Patient education is increasingly recognized as an integral part of the therapy. The objectives of therapeutical education rely essentially in the improvement of the patient knowledge and skills concerning the disease and its treatment in order to harmonize his life style with the restrains of the illness. Therapeutical education must be complex, individualized, repeated, motivating, and controlled. In chronic diseases, both the health provider and the patient are in front of a permanent challenge. The educational process is in continuous movement, liable to permanent improvement.