[History of patient education in rheumatic diseases in Croatia]

The education of rheumatic patients in Croatia has begun in 1975 by introducing the school of back pain. Soon after that has begun the education of children with scoliosis. The education of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis was establish in 1985. Along with the courses of patient's education, there were printed a publications dedicated to the same problem. At the beginning there was printed a textbook Rheumatic diseases with training for rheumatic patients (1978.) and then textbook Jogging (1982.) and Reta (1984.). During 1994, there were graduated a publications dedicated to the disease having the same name: Rheumatoid arthritis, Ankylosing spondylitis, Uric arthritis and Psoriatic arthritis, which were reprinted in enlarged form (1997). Protection of the joints in rheumatic disease (1998.) is a new textbook for patients about correctly usage of the joints. Textbook Prevention of back pain and neck pain (1998.) is dedicated to healthy people for the prevention of pain syndromes of vertebra. Thus, the education was introduced in almost all parts of rheumatology and in whole Republic of Croatia.