Managing patient education: a perspective for the 1990s

Changes in the delivery and complexity of health care make it imperative that the patient and family are provided with the information needed to make intelligent decisions and choices about health care alternatives. The intent of this paper is to outline the nurse manager's responsibilities for patient education and to provide a practical framework by which to structure patient teaching programs. Although the philosophies of self-care and self-determination are outlined and provide the primary orientation to the concept of patient education, the description of the nurse manager's clinical and aggregate skills provide both the training and practice guidelines.