Mise en place d'un programme d'éducation thérapeutique des patients traités par corticoïdes dans un service de médecine interne

Oral corticosteroids are often prescribed for chronic use. Though factors limiting the patient's adherence to steroid therapy are numerous and there are few recommendations for steroid-therapy prescription. In the Internal Medicine Department of our university hospital, patients having systemic autoimmune diseases are treated with long-term high-dose corticosteroid-therapy. Steroid-induced side effects may require hospitalization. In order to improve the patient care, a therapeutic education program for hospitalized patients treated with oral corticoids has been set up. A multidisciplinary working group has been constituted with all actors involved in patient care. The group elaborated inclusion criteria for the patients and established dedicated educational tools allowing long-term evaluation. Educational diagnosis and education through collective workshops and one-to-one teaching sessions were provided. To date, the program takes into account both therapeutic and dietary aspects of the patient care. Further on, educational practices should be widened by taking into account the psychosocial and behavioural aspects of the patient in correlation with disease aspects.