ABSTRACT
Although it is generally agreed that teaching is an important activity, it is reported that such teaching is often done on an unplanned and unstructured basis, with little attempt at evaluation of impact upon the patient. Thus it can be difficult to defend patient teaching as an essential part of care because we are frequently unable to prove its value in tangible terms. The only way to improve this situation is to learn from people who have conducted rigorous research into patient education and have reported the results. In this chapter and the next, a wide range of literature will be consulted to identify points for good practice, drawn from a variety of sources and will be presented as a guide to developing effective but realistic patient teaching. The focus will primarily be on patient education in the acute sector-mainly hospitals and outpatient clinics. However, many of the points will also be applicable to primary care settings. As the range of settings in which patient education may occur is so vast it is difficult to suggest universally applicable guidelines. Clearly, the needs of patients and therefore the patient education required will be variable according to the nature of their illness, the context in which their care is to be provided and individuals’ own perceptions and situations.
