MEDICAL COMPLIANCE IN ADOLESCENTS WITH CH RONIC ILLNESS

In clinical practice, non-compliance is art often unrecognised or frus trating reality, which physicians find difficult to accept or deal wit h. Possible determinants of adolescents' level of compliance may be di vided into demographic factors, patient and family characteristics, as pects of the illness and treatment regimen, and quality of the patient doctor relationship. Compliance should be viewed as a reflexion of th e experience of chronic illness as well as the expression of specific adolescent developmental issues. Practical guidelines are proposed.