[Adaptation of children to hospitalization]

Infants especially of about 1 to 4 years of age are opposed to an unknown environment and to unusual demands when they are admissed to hospital. Literature informes about some characteristic troubles during the first time of adaptation. In addition to those kinds of transitory adaptional difficulties, physical and mental retardation of development may appear when infants become long-time patients. The socalled psychic hospitalism has to be valued as a sign of underprotection and differs from adaptional troubles as a symptom of full strain. The survey shows adequate measures how physicians and nurses may deal with both of the problems in order to ease adaptation and to prevent psychic hospitalism.