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[Perceptions of children about care received during hospitalization]
1Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.
Insights
Hospitalization causes stress for children and families. Healthcare that involves children and families in self-care, maintains routines, and respects children’s needs can minimize this impact.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nursing
- Child Psychology
- Qualitative Health Research
Context:
- Exploratory qualitative study conducted in a hospital-school setting.
- Focus on the experiences of children aged 6-12 during hospitalization.
Purpose:
- To identify children's perceptions of care received during hospitalization.
- To understand the child's perspective on the healthcare environment.
Summary:
- In-depth interviews with eight children revealed five key themes: caretaker identification, perception of care, emotional expression, care description, and time perception.
- Findings indicate hospitalization induces stress in children and their families.
Impact:
- Recommends healthcare that actively involves children and families in self-care.
- Highlights the importance of maintaining family bonds and routines.
- Emphasizes clear communication, respecting child's input, and attentive nursing care to mitigate hospitalization's negative effects.
Abstract:
This is an exploratory qualitative study carried out in a hospital-school in Porto Alegre. Its purpose is to identify children's perception concerning the care received during hospitalization. Eight children, from six to twelve years of age participated in this investigation, after each person responsible for the child signed a consent form. Data was collected in the in-patient unit through in-depth interviews. Five different themes emerged from the analysis of the interviews: identification of the caretakers; children's perception of care; expression of inner feelings, description of the care received and the caretakers and perception of time. The study shows that hospitalization generates stress for the child and its family. Health care which is more appropriate and efficient minimizes the impact of hospitalization and should include the following aspects: family's and child's commitment to self-care, maintenance of family bonds and of regular activities, previous explanation of procedures to be performed respect for the child's opinions and suggestions, nursing team's availability and attention to the child's needs.