[Teaching of diabetics: evaluation of the questions put to patients by health care personnel and the usefulness of a pedagogic analysis].

In order to be fully therapeutic diabetes education should allow the patient to understand the mechanisms of the illness as well as the steps to be taken to achieve optimal treatment. In the course of their classes health care personnel ask diabetic patients questions with the intention of encouraging their participation. An education specialist has analysed the use of these questions: their number, their type and their functions' were noted. A) By type of question we refer to the various answers possible. Two groups can be distinguished: 1) limited number of answers possible as the result of a closed question, 2) multiple answers possible as the result of an open question. B) By function of question we refer to the cognitive effect a question may have on the patient. Again two categories can be described. In the first case numbers, terminology or facts learnt by heart; this being the result of questions of simple knowledge. In the second case, the establishment of relationships between facts as well as the solving of problem situations are encouraged by questions of understanding. The study shows that health care personnel tend to put forward closed rather than open questions. Regarding the function of the question most of them aim at simple repetition. Few activate the thinking process. As a result of the pedagogical training our team received concerning the use of questions in patient education an increase in the number of open questions and of questions of understanding was noted. These questions encourage the thinking process and the solving of problems encountered by the patient in the treatment of his/her diabetes.