Patient education is the planned, structured process by which clinicians and health systems provide patients and their families with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to understand their condition and participate in their own care. It encompasses information about diagnosis, treatment options, medication …
Patient education is the planned, structured process by which clinicians and health systems provide patients and their families with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to understand their condition and participate in their own care. It encompasses information about diagnosis, treatment options, medication and adherence, self-monitoring, lifestyle modification, and the prevention of complications, delivered through counselling, written materials, demonstrations, and increasingly digital tools. A central aim is to strengthen health literacy, the capacity to obtain, interpret, and act on health information, which shapes how effectively patients manage chronic and complex conditions. Effective patient education supports self-management of long-term illnesses such as osteoarthritis, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, improves adherence to therapies including antiretroviral and other ongoing treatments, and helps patients navigate procedures, nutrition, and safety considerations such as exposure precautions after certain therapies. Its design draws on behavioural and educational theory, tailoring content to the patient's needs, culture, and level of understanding, and emphasizing shared decision-making and holistic, person-centred care. Outcomes of well-delivered education include better symptom control, greater treatment adherence, reduced avoidable harm, and improved quality of life. As a core component of nursing and clinical practice, patient education reframes the patient as an informed partner rather than a passive recipient, contributing to safer and more equitable care.
7 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 7 articles above have been cited 41 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Patient Education, linking to each citing work.