The identification of patient beliefs realtive to durg education needs on a rehabilitation unit

An interpretation of medication education begins with the realization that education is not an autonomous self-regulating system but rather is a human creation complete with its own human motives, human goals, and human achievements. The education is created, rejuvenated, and maintained by human beings. The laws and organizations which comprise education have not only relied upon that character of human nature doing the discovering. Ideally, experienced health care professionals who wish to personally evaluate a new patient education method will spontaneously approach the patient who will be experiencing the ultimate effects of this new education design. However, before new patient education learning methods can be designed and implemented, one must seriously evaluate the goals and objectives of this educational technique. Health care professionals seek as much satisfaction of needs within their medical work as within their private and social lives. Their persistent curiosity and desire to understand, explain, and systematize are responsible for numerous scientific advances which are enjoyed by the medical community. the satisfaction of professional needs involves the ultimate goal of not only treatment and potential cure of medical problems but also the nurturing of the patient's understanding about his medical conditions in general and medication education in particular. the medical literature has provided substantiation that health care professionals agree on general guidelines for patient medication education. having a well established and progressive knowledge base, these professionals have projected their own perspectives about medication education with little appreciation for the education needs felt by the patient. These professional perspectives have served to subordinate the patient who has no medical knowledge and relies on expect opinion to alleviate sickness. However, the patient does have beliefs about health care in general and about medication use in particular. Although the projected educational perspectives have been a reflection of professional need satisfaction, health care professionals have failed to satisfy patient needs through neglect to acknowledge patient beliefs which form a framework for medication education needs.