Making an educational diagnosis to improve patient education.

The health professional needs to make an educational diagnosis before he selects a specific approach to patient education. Tailoring a patient education program to the patient's belief regarding his health and the patient's expectations regarding his diagnosis and care is useful. Other factors that influence the pulmonary rehabilitation team's selection of educational methodology are the patient's age, sex, educational level, cultural background, and prior experience with his disease. An educational program oriented to patients who rely on self-motivation or self-reward should provide choice of treatment, involvement of the patient in making choices, information-giving, and strong emphasis on individual responsibility. An educational program oriented to patients who demonstrate success when group strategies and support are used should encourage them to believe that their health can be controlled, even if it is dependent upon powerful others. Values clarification and behavior modification are also helpful in patient education.