[Mothers rooming-in in a department of pediatrics (author's transl)]

In order to better understand the reactions arising from the admission of a child with his mother to the hospital, the reactions of the families, of the hospital staff and of doctors to the permanent presence of the mothers have been analysed. It appears that, in spite of the constraints linked with this type of hospital treatment, it does have positive aspects as compared to the usual type of hospitalization : the organization of the admission, the existence of a single medical contact, a closer observation, a team which works closer together, better possibilities of obtaining information, a shorter stay in hospital; all these improvements could be generalized. However, this concept of hospital treatment is quite demanding for the hospital staff, who must have the support of all the doctors concerned and of the administration.