[Teaching and education of diabetic patients]

The instruction of the patient with diabetes mellitus, aimed at the mastery of technical elements in self-management, as well as his/her education to a coherent behavior respecting both the quality of metabolic control and the quality of life, are basic elements of diabetes treatment. To neglect them would be a professional error. The physician in charge of a diabetic patient must take into account the knowledge and the capabilities that have been acquired by the patient before, as well as his/her actual demand for information and instruction. Concepts and methods of learning and teaching for diabetic patients that have been developed and applied over the last decade may serve as reference for all levels of health education.