Psychosocial policies in hospitals serving children: comparative characteristics.

This investigation identified and assessed the extent to which hospitals are implementing psychosocial services to meet the needs of children and their families. Following up a similar survey in 1981, a comprehensive questionnaire was sent to the directors of pediatric nursing at pediatric hospitals and general hospitals with pediatric residency programs in the U.S. and Canada. Data were analyzed in a variety of ways to determine the relation between characteristics of pediatric hospitals and general hospitals; Canadian and U.S. hospitals; and hospitals with short, medium, and long lengths of pediatric patient stay. Overall, pediatric hospitals provided more psychosocial services than did general hospitals, and more of these services were implemented in 1988 as compared to 1981. No consistent trends were evident among hospitals when countries or lengths of pediatric patient stay were compared.