[Patient education for children and adolescents with chronic diseases]

The education of children with chronic diseases and of their parents is a treatment procedure that must be integrated into the management of the child's disease: it is essential for his or her physical and psychological health and quality of life. This continuous process is part of long-term follow-up and of the child's development; it is not a procedure that can be carried out once and for all. The program must include initial, follow-up, and advanced education. Treatment education for parents occurs simultaneously with the child's medical management and has the same requirements as that of the child (which means that the time spent in this education requires financial support). The role of the pediatrics departments serving these children is essential, and they must work with other participants, whose roles are not identical to they perform in education for adult patients. Pediatric patient education requires an interdisciplinary pediatric team with specific skills and appropriate liaison with those involved in other aspects of the child's life (e.g., daycare and school). The child's psychological development is central to the design and implementation of pediatric patient education programs. Knowledge of child development is critical in providing these services for children and adolescents; training in this field is required in addition to that necessary for adult patient education. Epidemiologic findings of the increased incidence of several chronic diseases in children must be considered in decisions about the resources allocated to coping with them. The particularities and requirements of adolescence and its interactions with chronic disease must also be considered in specific patient education programs for adolescents, and in the training and skills of healthcare professionals.