Possibility of patient education in the emergency department

Abstract

Therapeutic patient education began to be dealt with worldwide in the 1970s, while diabetes nursing training in Hungary began in 1995. The postgraduate training was organized for the first time in 2021 at the University of Miskolc, in contrast to France, where this form of training has been present since 1998. One of the questions of the present investigation is whether the current practice of patient education in emergency care can be expanded.
Due to the large number of incoming patients, only minimal training is currently carried out in the emergency department. The next question of the investigation is how much time the workers can devote to patient education. The research was made by retrospective analysis of online questionnaires. The target group who completed the questionnaire were nurses, ambulance officers and doctors working in the emergency patient care department operating in the country. By summarizing the results of the study, it became clear that the presence of the patient educator would not be necessary in the continuous work schedule of the emergency department, but the development of a well-developed referral system would be necessary (e.g. sending examination requests within the hospital system). Questions proposed for further investigation were determined, and these affect the competence of the patient
educator, because during the education it also affects the competence of the doctor. It may also be necessary to develop the possibility of making suggestions and, if necessary, making referrals for the involvement of other professionals in the education (e.g. psychologist, dietician, physiotherapist).