[A strategy for optimal standardized education of patients with obstructive respiratory tract diseases]

The contraindication between optimal treatment and, nevertheless, increasing morbidity and mortality in bronchial asthma results in interest being focussed on patient education aimed at improving the patient's own responsibility. The decisive object of any educational measures must be to increase this sense of own responsibility. In Germany, such educational measures are rarely provided, for the most part being offered by rehabilitation centres. At the present time, statistical data on the effect of such measures are available for some 500 patients. These patients are better informed and are better able to cope with their disease on a day-to-day basis, while therapeutic discipline is improved. The patients themselves desire such education in close conjunction with hospitals (rehabilitation centres) and their own physicians. The newly founded working group Patient Education at the Germany Society for Pneumology and Tuberculosis, has set itself the task of coordinating presently available activities. In an initial phase, current activities offered are made known and matched to one another. The next step is to work put the common essentials of the educational aims, contents and forms for children and adults with asthma, bronchitis and emphysema. The final objective is to establish standards for educational programmes to be provided by hospitals and rehabilitation centres, and for pre- and post-instruction by the patient's own physician.