Éducation des maladies chroniques en cardiologie au sein d'une unité transversale d'éducation multidisciplinaire : expérience d'un centre hospitalier général

Treatments for congestive heart failure, hypertension and cardiovascular risk have significantly changed and have become more complex. The have also become more and more effective thanks to the results of great clinical studies that have enabled European and North-american societies to issues recommendations. The observance of the pharmalogical and non-pharmalogical treatments requires the education of patients and their family following guidelines that have been clearly defined by the European Society of Cardiology. This education, in wich the technic of communication is very important, is common to a lot of chronic diseases and requires adequat material and human ressources in order to have an optimal quality of treatment. In a society in wich spending is on rise, getting such ressources is not easy. However, putting in common ressources of several departments can be a good solution. The experience of the Hospital Center of Douai (France) lead to the creation of a Transversal Education Unit at the end of the year 2003. This unit centralizes the efforts of several departments of care like peumology, pediatry, diabetology, nutrition and cardiology and allows patients suffering from co-morbidities to have access to various programs of this unit.