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The problem is not due to staff not having time, or not dumbing things down. The problem regarding patient education will always be engagement and motivation.

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Agreed in that engagement and motivation are big issues. But time and time again I've witnessed physicians rushing through explanations of a patient's condition and management in a language far too sophisticated for a layman's understanding. I know that nurses typically walk through discharge instructions with a patient, so maybe my perspective is one-sided. Although I do think physicians should have a bigger role in educating and motivating patients by providing them with a thorough understanding of their conditions and medications.

I meant more about patient education in general rather than specifically discharge instructions.

also, from my experience, the stories of patients not understanding something about their discharge and then being readmitted because of that lack of understanding is far less than the cases of patients being readmitted simply because they chose not to follow specific instructions regarding their health.

You can't fix fat with education (no matter how shiny of a device it's on) and fat, generally speaking, is what causes a lot of of the chronic diseases that perpetuate the need for hospitals in the first place.

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