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PARENTS' AND HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS PERSPECTIVES ABOUT HOSPITALISED CHILDREN BEING VISITED BY OTHER CHILDREN IN
D G M Makworo1, N Bwibo, G Omoni
1College of Health Sciences, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya. gekondomoke@gmail.com
Insights
Hospital visitation for children is restricted, especially for visits by other children. However, both parents and healthcare providers recognize the benefits of such visits for healing and psychological well-being.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric healthcare
- Child psychology
- Hospital policy
Background:
- Historically, hospital visitation for children has been limited.
- The impact of peer visitation on hospitalized children remains under-researched.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess current visitation practices for hospitalized children.
- To understand the perspectives of parents and healthcare providers on peer visitation.
Main Methods:
- A two-phase descriptive study utilizing quantitative and qualitative approaches.
- Data collected from nurses, pediatricians, and parents in pediatric wards at Kenyatta National Hospital and Gertrudes Children's Hospital.
Main Results:
- Visitation by family, particularly younger children, is highly restricted in public hospitals.
- Most healthcare providers and parents acknowledge the psychological benefits of peer visits, including reduced anxiety and improved healing.
- Infection risk was identified as the primary concern driving visitation restrictions.
Conclusions:
- Healthcare providers and parents value peer visitation for hospitalized children.
- Current healthcare policies should be revised to permit visits from other children.
Background:
Throughout history, visitation of the hospitalised child has always been restricted. The subject of whether hospitalised children should be visited by other children has been accorded minimal attention.
Objective:
To determine the current status of visitation of the hospitalised children and the parents and healthcare providers'views on hospitalised children being visited by other children.
Design:
A descriptive study carried out using quantitative and qualitative methods in two phases
Setting:
All paediatric wards at Kenyatta National Hospital and Gertrudes Children's Hospital.
Subjects:
Nurses, paediatricians and parents of hospitalised children.
Results:
A total of 161 parents participated in phase I of the study whereas 11 nurses not specialised in paediatric nursing, 13 paediatric nurses, 12 nurse managers, fur paediatricians and13 parents participated in phase II of the study. The study established that visiting of the hospitalised child by family members especially children aged below twelve years is severely restricted particularly in the public hospital. Despite this, however, majority of the healthcare providers and the parents acknowledged the importance of the hospitalised children being visited by other children. This is because it promotes healing, gives the sick child psychological satisfaction and relieves anxiety in the hospitalised child, the accompanying parent and the other children. The risk of exposing the visiting children to infection was cited as the main reason for the restrictions.
Conclusion:
Both the healthcare providers and the hospitalised children's parents appreciate the importance of the hospitalised child being visited by other children. There is a need to review healthcare policies to make provision for hospitalised children to be visited by other children.
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