TITLE:
Therapeutic Patient Education in West Africa: A Literature Review
AUTHORS:
Yao Eugène Konan, Joëlle Kivits, Maurice Tanguy, Guillaume Okoubo, Ekissi Orsot Tetchi, Francis Guillemin
KEYWORDS:
Therapeutic Patient Education, Chronic Illness, Chronic Disease, Chronic Condition, West Africa, Literature Review
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Epidemiology,
Vol.16 No.4,
September
29,
2026
ABSTRACT: Background: In developed countries, therapeutic patient education or patient education helps people with chronic diseases to manage their health conditions and produces health and financial benefits. However, there are few data available on educational practices in Africa. We conducted this study in order to identify the characteristics of patient education in West Africa. Methods: A literature review was conducted. The search strategy generated 488 results from four databases (PubMed, BDSP, Web of Science, PsycINFO). Results: All the articles were evaluated for their relevance to the selection criteria. Fifteen were retained. Most had been published in English-language journals. They covered various chronic diseases, notably diabetes and HIV/AIDS, and focused mainly on educational interventions. None addressed the negotiation of educational objectives. They presented satisfactory results in terms of efficacy but little detail on teaching methodologies. Patient education is reduced to the transmission of information exclusively targeting the acquisition of self-care skills. Conclusion: This review confirms that patient education is only of minor interest in West Africa. However, in view of the rapidly increasing number of people needing chronic care services in developing countries, there is a need for scientific research data for the formulation and implementation of patient education policies adapted to West African countries.