[Knowing the patient's representations in order to optimize the educational project]

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Education
• Patient-Centered Care
• Health Psychology

Background:

• Current educational care structures in hospitals are often misaligned with patient needs.
• Patients' understanding of disease and health may not align with medical perspectives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the alignment of existing educational care with patient needs.
• To demonstrate how understanding patient representations can lead to tailored care plans.
• To reduce the risk of ineffective therapeutic programs through adapted patient support.

Main Methods:

• Conducted 7 patient interviews across three medico-surgical specialties with formal educational processes.
• Interviewed 3 educational unit leaders to understand proposed care.
• Utilized original expression techniques to explore patient representations of disease, health, and educational needs.

Main Results:

• Identified three distinct educational care profiles: psycho-pedagogical, psychological, and educational.
• Patient representations of disease and health were often unfounded and disconnected from hospital settings.
• Educational needs were frequently rooted in personality and societal factors, not solely pathology.
• Existing educational structures were only partially adapted to patient needs.
• Optimal educational care requires a "tailor-made" approach, patient-professional collaboration, and often extends beyond the hospital.

Conclusions:

• Patient educational care extends beyond the traditional healthcare framework.
• Multiprofessional and interdisciplinary teamwork is essential.
• Requires creativity, open-mindedness, and a willingness to modify healthcare professionals' own representations of disease, health, and patient educational needs.