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Date: Fri 23-Apr-1999

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Date: Fri 23-Apr-1999

Publication: Hea

Author: SHANNO

Quick Words:

child-hospitalization

Full Text:

HEALTH MONITOR: (SIDEBAR) Child Hospitalization: Questions For Your Physician

Treating a child is not just treating a patient, it is ensuring that children

understand why they are in a hospital, explaining what will happen to them,

and helping them feel more comfortable and secure with the hospitalization

experience. All parents fear the day their child might need hospitalization.

Whether for a broken arm, a tonsillectomy or a more serious problem, it is a

frightening experience for a parent as well as a child. When parents are faced

with this possibility, they will have many questions and fears.

When a child needs to be hospitalized, there are several questions a parent

should be prepared to ask their pediatrician, including the following:

What facility will provide the best pediatric medical care for my child? Have

all the doctors, nurses and staff been trained in pediatric medicine?

Why are you recommending this hospital?

Will you be at the hospital? Will you be consulting with the other doctors?

Which facility will provide a tour prior to admission into the hospital,

allowing my son/daughter to understand where they will be going and what will

be happening? Is the facility staffed with child life specialists who can not

only prepare my child, but also help him/her cope with the experience?

Will the hospital provide me with the opportunity to participate in the

decisions regarding treatment for my child?

Can I spend the night at the hospital with my child?

Can I be with my child prior to entering the operating room? In the recovery

room? Can I be present when my child receives anesthesia?

Does the hospital have a child-friendly environment with toys, books and kids'

activities -- providing a sense of security and familiarity for my child?  Are

child and family support services available?

What is the hospital's approach to pain management and how is pain controlled

in children?

What are the facility's areas of pediatric medical expertise and how

comprehensive are they? Does the facility offer everything my child will need?

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