title: Teenagers' perception of being an active patient and putting the concept into practice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyse the results of research on how adolescents understand the "active patient" concept, how often they undertake that role depending on gender and on whether they are suffering from a chronic disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  The research was conducted in a group of 14-15 year-olds. It comprised qualitative research (focus groups, N=24) concerning the way the concept of an "active patient" is understood and quantitative research (questionnaire study, N=716). The research tool was an anonymous authored questionnaire with questions concerning the role of the active patient and chronic illnesses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The idea of the "active patient" was not understandable to the teenagers, but they were able to enumerate many kinds of behaviours which are typical for such a patient. Among the 7 kinds of such behaviours, only two (presenting their ailments to the doctor and following the doctor's recommendations) were always or almost always followed by over half the respondents. The frequencies of undertaking behaviours typical for an active patient by girls and boys were similar. Teenagers with chronic diseases more often behaved actively during their visit to the doctor, but less frequently followed the doctor's recommendations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Few adolescents actively participate in the process of diagnosis and treatment. There is a need for early education of children and young people to become active patients, since such an attitude promotes health throughout one's lifetime. Such education is first of all the task of doctors and nurses, and it can be effective only if the inter-communication skills with patients are improved. It is a necessity to support young people with chronic diseases in their treatment and in coping with their disease.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Division, Faculty of Health Sciences, the Medical University of Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Woynarowska-Sołdan
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Health, Institute of Mother and Child in Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Izabela
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tabak
authors.affiliation: Department of Didactics in Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, the Medical University of Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Antonina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Doroszewska
authors.affiliation: Public Health Division, Faculty of Health Sciences, the Medical University of Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Karolina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jabłkowska-Górecka
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000523:psychology*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011044:Poland; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires