Patient education in the emergency department.

Abstract

The emergency department (ED) visit provides an opportunity for patient education. Many ED patients have poor access to regular health care, including patient education. Accreditation standards, legal considerations, and cost-efficiency concerns encourage the clinician to implement formal patient education in the ED. More importantly, published clinical studies evaluating patient education in both the ED and comparable settings support the hypothesis that ED-based patient education improves outcomes. The article discusses considerations for instructional material, highlights challenges to ED-based patient education, and suggests possibilities for future research.