Objectives: To explore educator experiences of implementing dialogue tools in practice to engender participatory patient education.
Methods: Data were collected through qualitative interviews with 31 educators and 20 ethnographic observations of group-based education sessions at eight education sites. Data were analysed using systematic text condensation and the theoretical concepts of script and descript.Three dialogue tools including ‘My Illness and Me’, ‘Goals and Plan’s and ‘Wheel of Change’ were selected for analysis because they were used most frequently. The tools are intended to support educators in facilitating participatory patient education.
Results: Consistent with the intended purpose of the dialogue tools, educators reported that the dialogue tools helped engender participatory education in the form of reflection and dialogue among participants regarding living with diabetes. However, educators also reported instances of discrepancies between the tools’ intended purpose and their actual use because some participants found it difficult to relate to the tools.
Discussion: The application of dialogue tools to engender participatory patient education is highly dependent on educators’ and participants’ understanding and use of dialogue tools in practice. This implies that substantial educator skills are needed to facilitate dialogue and participation in patient education.