[Patient education as a constituent of a patient-oriented approach in rehabilitation].

Patient education is a central component of patient-oriented medical rehabilitation. The aim of patient education is to provide patients with the fundamentals of acting as competent partners in the rehabilitation process. Thus, the goals of educational group programmes are compliance, self-management, and empowerment, which are aspired by means of providing information, training skills, and modifying attitudes. According to expert opinions, such programmes should comply with certain minimum criteria regarding aims, methods, and frameworks, which can then be complemented by additional quality criteria. Furthermore, educational programmes should meet all the substantial requirements and standards of the respective medical area and exhibit proven effectiveness. A nationwide survey of rehabilitation institutions has shown that the implementation of patient education does not meet the quality requirements in all cases, particularly regarding patient-oriented didactics, standardisation, manual-use and evaluation. An additional quality feature is marked by the skills and qualifications of the educators. Instructors should be competent in leading and moderating groups and using various methods and media in order to fulfill the standards of modern educational concepts. As ample evidence has shown, patient participation and improved self-efficacy are indispensable when trying to promote healthy lifestyles in patients. Additional opportunities for enhancing patient orientation and optimizing patient education are provided by measures of behavioural planning and after-care as attempts to convey the behavioural changes in the patients' everyday lives.