L'éducation thérapeutique du patient

Chronic diseases are a real public health problem. They significantly impair quality of life of patients and induce increasing health costs. Health professional and public authorities try since several years to improve the support of these patients. Therapeutic education can respond to their request. It gives its place to the patient as his health actor through a better management of his disease and improves his quality of life. This support has recently been governed by laws, framed by methodological guides for its structure and its development. Although many efforts have been made to improve the therapeutic patient education, funding remains an obstacle to its implementation and its accessibility. In the University Hospital of Toulouse, a therapeutic educational program has been set up in Parkinson's disease according to the Health Authority recommendations thanks to a French Ministry of Health grant. It fits perfectly in the course of patient care. It meets their needs and facilitates their care.