Patient education is a process of providing patients and their families with the information, knowledge and skills needed to manage their health problems and illnesses ( Park, 2005). It is the responsibility of nurses to follow the teaching process in providing patient education. They include assessing the patient's educational needs, planning an educational session, implementing the plan, and evaluating the educational process. Barriers to teaching and learning are those that nurses face in the educational process. Nurses may find that they do not have enough time, knowledge and teaching skills. Furthermore, patients' literary level, environment and personal conditions will influence their learning ability. Cognitive and humanistic are two learning theories that can help nurses and patients achieve the goals and benefits of patient education. The Nurse's Responsibilities in Providing Patient Education Nurses' responsibilities in patient education are to help patients learn health-related behaviors to achieve the goal of optimal health and independence in self-care. It is also the nurse's responsibility to assess patients' learning needs, willingness to learn, and learning styles. The needs and problems of the individual patient and family are very important (Wingard, 2005). Some patients need information to better understand their health condition and how to overcome or prevent complications from the disease. Others may be interested in improving quality of life with current illnesses. Patient concerns include culture, race, ethnicity, religious orientation, socioeconomic status, age, gender, educational background, literacy level, and emotional state (Wingard, 2005). Next, nurses… middle of paper… This theory is useful because it focuses on students' or patients' perceptions, desires, and decision-making. This works well with all patients as nurses take patients' needs and feelings into consideration when providing information. Conclusion Along with patient care, patient teaching is also important to increase patient satisfaction, ensure continuity of care, promote patient adherence to treatment and care plan. Nurses have the responsibility to assess patients' educational needs to design an appropriate plan and interventions. Overcoming existing barriers in patient teaching and learning will lead to successful patient education. The application of cognitive and humanistic theories of learning will help healthcare professionals in general, or nurses in particular, to achieve the predefined objectives of the teaching process.