Parenting the Chronically Ill Adolescent

This chapter describes the role of the primary care physician in helping parents of chronically ill adolescents. The primary care practitioner can help parents (1) to become advocates for adolescents by helping them to understand the workings of the tertiary care system; (2) to be cognizant of important issues concerning the effect of the adolescent's illness on family functioning; and (3) to coordinate multidisciplinary treatment so that the care of the adolescent does not become fragmented.