What patient education achieves
Patient education aims at better health outcomes, a more efficient healthcare system, or both. The understanding it builds changes how patients take part in their care, and what that care achieves for them and for the health systems that serve them.
Aims of patient education
In patient-centred care, a broad aim of patient education is to encourage individuals to take an active part in their own healthcare through an improved ability to make appropriate health decisions, the ability to recognise symptoms and see a health professional about them, increased self-care, better management of symptoms and ability to cope, adherence to treatment, and participation in a health programme. The specific objectives of an initiative vary by project, but the overarching goal is generally to improve health outcomes, to make the healthcare system more efficient and cost-effective, or both.
Patient education matters for different reasons at different stages of the product lifecycle and the patient journey, but broadly its main purpose throughout is to improve health outcomes and to empower individuals to take control of their own health.
Understanding, satisfaction and an active part in care
Research has shown that personalised patient materials improve patients' understanding, satisfaction and trust in the healthcare system. In one study, for example, patients who received personalised patient education materials in addition to verbal education from their doctors had improved care through shared decision making and greater satisfaction.
Increased understanding and satisfaction empower patients to ask questions and become active members of their healthcare team, and facilitate communication between healthcare providers and patients, which saves providers time, enhances the quality of care and improves health outcomes. Successful patient education enables patients and their families to become active members of their healthcare team, empowers them to ask questions, supports communication with healthcare providers and results in shared decision making.
Medical leaders have identified patient engagement as one of the most critical concerns of health systems during the digital transformation of the healthcare industry.
Benefits for patients and health systems
Good patient education supports improved outcomes and an efficient, cost-effective healthcare system. Patient education benefits both patients and healthcare systems. For patients, it improves adherence and comprehension, reduces hospitalisations and adverse drug events, and enhances knowledge and empowerment regarding their condition and treatment. For healthcare systems, it optimises medication use and improves workflow efficiency by reducing medication errors. Investing in patient education is also a practical strategy for patient-centred risk mitigation.
Empowered patients are able to make informed decisions about their treatment and care, have a better relationship with healthcare professionals, show greater commitment to treatment and so better adherence, and take more responsibility for their care. They are also more likely to adopt preventive measures and seek earlier diagnosis, which reduces hospitalisations and emergency visits and ultimately lowers the hospitalisation burden.
Patient education has an important role in influencing patients to take their medication exactly as prescribed. In the EU, lack of adherence to treatment costs healthcare systems approximately €1.25 billion a year and is responsible for 194,500 deaths a year. Adherence is influenced by health literacy, which suggests that addressing health literacy can improve adherence.