Abstract
<jats:p>Despite the strong progress of the United Arab Emirates towards reducing chronic illnesses and overall good management of healthcare facilities, patient education programmes were found to be lacking in their effectiveness. As such, barriers to Patient education programmes in Abu Dhabi, as experienced and perceived by registered nurses working in primary healthcare settings, were explored. The study was conducted in Ambulatory Health Services primary healthcare settings in Abu Dhabi. A qualitative, explorative, and descriptive design was employed in this study. This study’s participants were chosen via non-probability purposive sampling. Data were gathered through semi-structured focus group discussions. Five Focus Group discussions were conducted, with each group including six to nine Registered Nurses who worked as general nurses in primary healthcare clinics in different regions of Abu Dhabi. In total, 36 Registered Nurses participated in the focus group discussions. A pre-developed list of questions was used to interview the respondents. The data gathered was analysed through thematic analysis, and measures to ensure trustworthiness were followed. The data led to the identification of three barriers of patient education, namely barriers related to patients, barriers related to nurses and barriers related to the physical environment. Patients’ negative attitude towards patient education, language barriers and lack of appropriate facilities had a negative impact in their education. Barriers identified can be addressed by policymakers to enhance the effectiveness of PE programmes in Abu Dhabi.</jats:p>