Empowering Patient Education (EPE)
Patient education and counseling is essential in nursing. The ultimate goal of patient education is to support the patient, and to be empowered in his/her own health related problems and care. Patient education is needed during all ages from maternity and child care to the care of elderly.
The increased need for patient education is due to shortened hospital stays and increased ambulatory surgery . In addition, the growing elderly population, multidimensional health, the problems of older people and access to information technology increase. At the same time nurses time for patient education is limited.
The essential basis for patient education is knowledge of patient´s health: without knowledge action is difficult. Patient´s right to information is prescribed by Finnish law (785/92) and stated in nursing ethics.
The goal of this research project is to analyze patient education in different fields of nursing and to develop the theoretical basis of empowering patient education, to develope new innovative methods for patient education and evaluate the outcomes of patient education.
The meeting of the Empowering Patient Education project in winter
and in summer.