[Care of adolescents in Spanish hospitals: the invisible patients]

The general aim of this work was to address the current models of non-psychiatric hospitalization received by adolescents in Spanish hospitals. Specifically, we wished to determine whether Spanish hospitals have specific non-psychiatric admittance units for adolescent patients, what are the age limits used by such units, what diseases are cared for, and what educational and leisure services are provided for hospitalised patients. If the hospitals do not have specific admittance units for adolescent patients, we wished to find out the age limit at which minors are admitted into the paediatric unit, and where they are they admitted when they are not admitted in paediatrics, and whether alternative educational and leisure activities are provided to minor patients who are admitted in units other than paediatrics.

We carried out a descriptive study by means of surveys in 73 hospitals, of which 68 admitted minor patients.

In most of the participating hospitals, adolescents with non-psychiatric illnesses were admitted to units that were not specifically for patients of their age. In contrast, these patients are admitted into paediatric units up to the cut-off age when they are admitted into adult units. According to the data, the most frequent cut-off age is 15 years or under. With some exceptions, when adolescents are admitted into adult units, they are not guaranteed any educational support during their hospitalization, and the leisure activities to occupy their time while hospitalized to which they have access are basically the same as those of adult patients.

The treatment of adolescents within the Spanish hospital system has a series of deficiencies as regards international quality parameters.