Predicting medical compliance among adolescents with cystic fibrosis.

This investigation evaluated the utility of a new assessment tool based on a competency/coping skills model in predicting medical compliance of adolescents with cystic fibrosis. The Medical Compliance Incomplete Stories Test (M-CIST) was administered to 40 adolescent and young adult inpatients aged 13 to 23. These data were compared to objective measures of the patient's medical compliance. The M-CIST was positively correlated with compliance (multiple R = .72, p less than .001) and discriminated compliant from noncompliant patients. Data derived from patients' responses on the assessment tool could also be used projectively to provide information useful to clinicians treating adolescents with cystic fibrosis.