PATIENT EDUCATION AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN TERMS OF PATIENT SAFETY

Abstract

Patient safety and prevention of medical errors in every stage of health services is among the priorities of health system. Measures taken for prevention of medical errors in patient safety, one of the most important in care quality for health services, are the basis of patient safety. Information, skill and behavior increasing the degree of patient safety and making learning from errors easier can be gained through both training of health professionals and patient. Today, patient education focused on accurate application of treatment aims firstly for providing patient and patient family with accurate decision ability on care and taking responsibilities. Patient education helps patient with learning and understanding of his/her diagnosis and treatment, gaining active self-care attitude, and getting rid of feeling “weakness” due to illness. This process, in which effective and observable changes in patient behaviors are aimed, is not limited to inpatient treatment, but continuous. Patient education is not limited to patient health, but also includes increasing health care quality. Patient’s healthcare expense get less and less proportionally as hospitalization time gets closer to end. Importance of patient education, financing of which is so profitable, increases more and more today.