[Paediatric specificities of the concept of therapeutic patient education: review of the literature from 1998 to 2012].

Background: The general concept of therapeutic patient education (TPE), defined by the European Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1998, could be questionable when applied to children due to the many specificities of this population in the field of health and education.

Aim: To identify the specificities of therapeutic patient education applied to the paediatric population.

Methods: Concept analysis is based on Rodgers' 5-activities method: 1) Identifying the concept 2) selecting the appropriate realm of literature 3) collecting data from selected publications 4) analysing the results to determine the characteristics of the concept studied 5) discussion of the implications and prospects for development of the concept.

Results: Thirty-five publications were included in this concept clarification. Five attributes emerged: relational triad, collaborative partnership, adaptation of learning, gradual and progressive acquisition of skills, and creativity.

Discussion: The results of this first concept analysis shed light on the process of knowledge transfer over time. The five characteristics, consistent with the field of health promotion, could be strengthened by a grounded theory.