Patient education in the hospital health-care setting.

The implementation of patient education within the hospital setting can be justified for a variety of reasons. The rationale for implementing patient education can be justified in terms of escalating emphasis on consumerism and informed participation on the part of the health-care recipient, the support of federal legislation, the support of hospital regulatory bodies, the support of third-party insurance carriers and private foundations, increased cooperation and compliance on the part of the patient, reduced stress levels for the hospitalized patient, and the improvement of staff-patient relationships. All of these serve as a database that justifies the integration of patient education within hospital care services. Patient education is the responsibility of the existing health-care system. In many instances, patient education is still not being approached in a serious manner. Therefore this paper attempts to provide a number of reasons health-care professionals functioning within the hospital setting should implement this process.