The Dialogue between the Patient’s Educational Needs and the Knowledge Transmitted by Nurses: The Case of the Transplanted Renal Patient

Abstract

Health education has been on the horizon of nursing professionals for decades. The design and development of new education programmes allied to the processes of ageing and chronic diseases have been sought after. In the twenty first century, the need to develop ‘performant’ policies that lead policymakers, health professionals and civil society to move towards new management of chronic disease marked by citizens’ participation in decisions regarding their health and control of the management of their health condition has accelerated the urgency of citizen-centred health care and education programmes tailored to their needs, preferences, values, and condition. In this paper, we explore what has been done around patient education by nursing professionals and the results achieved. We observe a positive scenario where the patient is seen as an active partner, which leads to the integration of a new perspective, assisted and participatory disease management. There is still a need for more structured and systematised education programmes and training for health professionals involved in this process.