Patient education through teaching for conceptual change.

It is not enough for clinicians to gather good patient information and then dictate management plans. If patient education is to be successful, attention must be paid to tailoring educational input to the patient's particular needs. If the conceptual change approach is followed, patient differences due to factors such as age and culture will be taken into account. Likewise, the different types of patient education described earlier can be accommodated, since the patient and his or her particular needs are always the focus of all medical conversations. The conceptual change approach for patient education potentially can help clinicians avoid the temptation to ignore patients' perspectives and provide instruction tailored to patient needs, thereby reducing the possibility of educational negligence.