This paper is derived from a larger study of nurses perceptions of their role as patient educators. The focus is to examine nurses performance in patient education in relation to issues of their perceived responsibility and their ability to prioritize patient education.

A multiple-method survey design, using a questionnaire and in-depth interviews, is used to produce a comprehensive picture of the research problem examined.

The findings suggest that although nurses consider patient education as an integral part of their care, they fail to deliver as much as they desire in the face of work constraints. Nurses patient education activities are mainly informal and reactional, in which case they can be easily regarded as a low priority when faced with time constraints.

The findings suggest that there is a need for systematic approaches that enable the inculcation of patient education into routine daily care.