title: Essential concepts in the care of children with chronic illness.
abstract: Children with chronic illness constitute an increasingly significant segment of the child population seeking care in Western industrialized countries. There are concerns that traditional disease-specific ways of thinking about these children and organizing their care may not meet the real life needs of the children and their families. This article examines a series of concepts that are fundamental for the humane and biomedically sound care of children with chronic illness, and a model of care is proposed. Relevant data from one program are presented.
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005190:Family; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations