Hospitalization of the child: parental feelings and opinions

Abstract

Introduction: Illness and hospitalization constitute a crisis situation for both the child and its family as it implies financial, psychological, relational and social changes. Objective: To know the feelings and opinions of the parents towards the hospitalization in a Pedriatrics unit) Method: It’s a descriptive study, in which was used a 33 sample of parents/other visitant. After the authorization of the Hospital’s Director Council and the inquired informed consent, we proceeded to collect data by conducting a questionnaire at the pediatric unit of the Central Hospital Trás-osMontes e Alto Douro – Vila Real.  Results: The age of the inquired is comprehended between the 21 and 46 years old, and its majority is 30 and 35 years old. 87, 9% of the childred were accompanied by its mother and 15,2% of the children had already been hospitalized from 3 (6,1%) to 5 times (9,1%). During the hospitalization, the parents experienced ambivalent feelings. The most expressive negative feeling were anxiety, sadness and fear. We verified that the children’s hospitalization has forced the parents to adapt to a new routine (93,9%), as well as changes in their social and work life. The inquired considered their relation with the nurse as good (48,5%) and very good (36,3%), with only 9,1% of the inquired considering it as sufficient. Conclusion: t’s crucial in a situation of hospitalization to comprehend the family feelings, where the health professionals, mostly the nurses, must contribute to the development of stratigies that will allow the family and the patient to adapt to the situation.