Therapeutic patient education (TPE) aims to help patients acquire or maintain the skills they need to best manage their lives with a chronic disease. Through a scientometric analysis of the literature, we identified the most influential bibliographic data related to TPE research that have strengthened the field and increased its effectiveness. These were studies from the fields of education, philosophy, psychology, anthropology and medical sociology. We have conducted a meta-analysis that has demonstrated the effectiveness of TPE for the management of obesity and diabetes on biological and psychological parameters. It allowed patients to improve their knowledge, their therapeutic adherence and their sense of self-efficacy.