Therapeutic patient education and health promotion: A forgotten link in the new WHO guidelines?

Twenty-five years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the basic recommendations for therapeutic patient education (TPE). The WHO-Europe region office recently published a new report on therapeutic patient education, “Therapeutic patient education: an introductory guide.” This guide targets decision-makers, healthcare professionals, and those involved in training, focusing on a patient-centered process for managing health through one’s own resources. The approach promotes empowerment, health literacy, and autonomy, emphasizing the importance of TPE in improving health outcomes and quality of life. However, the Society for Therapeutic Education in Europe aims to address several shortcomings in the guide to enrich the debate. Specifically, it shows how the authors of this guide would have benefited from linking TPE and health promotion more closely.