What children are saying: Children's experiences of being hospitalized

Introduction: Being ill and hospitalized may be the first emotional crisis a child encounters. Children in their infancy are more susceptible to the trauma of being hospitalized. This group tends to feel a crisis when hospitalized because children possess fewer mechanisms for adapting themselves, thus they can not alleviate the suffering. Materials and methods: This study used a qualitative approach through a phenomenological method. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 16 children aged 7 to 12 years from pediatric wards in hospital in Iran. Results: Conducted interviews were analyzed. Three main concepts of spiritual, physical, and environmental problems were extracted from among 98 primary codes. Conclusion: This paper highlights the significance of children's physical and socio-psychological needs during hospitalization. The results clearly show that children need sufficient information according to their needs and, moreover, their comments should first be sought on how to plan for services. Finally, the hospitals' environments should be more child-friendly

کلیدواژه ها:

Hospitalize ، Child ، Experience