Hospitalization and Its Meaning to the Child and His Family

Abstract

Hospitals are of indisputable value. The majority of patients, adults as well as children, are admitted for good reasons. Nevertheless, the criteria for the hospitalization of children are not always clear. Obviously, certain medical and surgical procedures can be performed only in a hospital, but many children are admitted for observation, minor treatments, and laboratory investigations merely out of custom or for the convenience of the physician or the parents. There are risks in treating a sick child at home, whereas hospital treatment offers a sense of security, which some physicians need more than others. Styles of medical practice differ in terms of readiness to make house-calls and in terms of office or hospital orientation. Not only reasons for admission but also the average duration of hospitalization for identical illnesses vary from hospital to hospital and from physician to physician. Cultural factors seem to influence the choice as to whether certain procedures such as tonsillectomy and circumcision will be carried out. Similarly, the dying child is often routinely hospitalized because there seems to be a cultural intolerance to death taking place at home.