Therapeutic patient education* should enable patients to acquire and maintain abilities that allow them to optimally manage their lives with their disease. It is therefore a continuous process, integrated in health care. It is patient-centred; it includes organized awareness, informa- tion, self-care learning* and psychosocial support regarding the dis- ease, prescribed treatment, care, hospital and other health care set- tings, organizational information, and behaviour* related to health and illness. It is designed to help patients and their families understand the disease and the treatment, cooperate with health care providers*, live healthily, and maintain or improve their quality of life. .
