Essential concepts in the care of children with chronic illness.
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.
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