HEALTH-CARE AND TREATMENT FOR THE CHRONICALLY ILL - TOWARD A CONCEPTUAL-FRAMEWORK

Due to the aging of the population there is an increased prevalence of chronic disease which requires a special style of treatment. The intention of this article is to develop a model of care for the treatment of the chronically ill. The basic ingredients of this model are: (1) that the needs of chronically ill persons go well beyond medical considerations: (2) that in order to administer quality care, a wide variety of therapies must function in the context of a dynamic and flexible team; (3) that the referent for therapeutic decisions and interdisciplinary problems be the patient and his/her needs; and (4) that the team be aided and abetted by the larger organizational context in which it functions, i.e. the hospital. © 1979.