Parenting the chronically ill child in the hospital: issues and concerns.

Chronic childhood illness and hospitalization are stressful events within the family unit. Parental response to the crisis of hospitalization profoundly affects the child's recovery process. This article discusses a team approach toward assessing and understanding parental reactions, methods of offering assistance and guidance, and basic issues and problems concerning staff-parent relationships. The focus is on the pediatric health care "team" as an agent for aiding families.