LEGAL ASPECTS IN LAW FOR PATIENT EDUCATION Dr Ghiyasvandian Assistant Professor Member of Medical-Surgical Nursing Department School of Nursing and Midwifery Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Main objectives of PE

Legal statements in Iran law for patient education

Legal precedents in other country law for patient education Precedents exist in law that obligate health care providers and health institutions to render adequate and relevant patient education. The specific duties of a physician to his patient include disclosing to the patient all material facts of the health condition, forewarning the patient of possible hazards and collateral risks, counseling the patient in alternative methods of treatment, and instructing the patient in the skills and knowledge needed for informed self-care after discharge. Implicit in the exercise of these specific duties is patient understanding, for the physician is liable for negligence if the patient does not understand what is necessary for effective management of his health condition. This liability legally constrains health care providers to develop accurate and reliable methods for evaluating understanding and for documenting their educational efforts. Institutions offering patient education programs as part of their standard of professional care owe the patient the legal duty of monitoring the appropriateness and adequacy of such programs.

early topics like the organization of PE, the orchestration of PE between different disciplines, the role of the social environment, the provision of PE in difficult patient groups and — most of all — the technical development of educational materials took the time and attention of the growing group of professionals that were engaged in patient education Recent developments concern the legal aspects of PE, national policy, the role of health insurance, the position of patient organizations and the development of patient education in specific professional groups, e.g. general practitioners, nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists, and dentists. The effective use of information material, the need for counseling as part of PE, and the relevance of coordination of care are longtime, but still actual problems in PE. More recent issues are the pressures on PE because of capacity restraints, the influence of the media and perhaps most of all: the apparent need for a patient-centered attitude and a more two-sided way of communication.

Main challenge is the long-term interaction between patient and provider in the management of illnesses which cannot be cured(chronic illness). The challenges for health care providers are: to relinquish control of the consultation when it is appropriate; to be aware of the human biases affecting clinical judgment; to develop a professional approach to the human aspects of their relationships with patients and other professionals as part of a management team; and to focus on the longer term relationship and long-term benefit to the patient.

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