Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being. 2012 Aug 17;7:18694. doi: 10.3402/qhw.v7i0.18694.
The impact of a hospital environment on children has rarely been investigated. Recently, however, the perspective of hospitalized children has been taken into account. Being hospitalized and facing an illness represent a dramatic change in a child's daily life, and the quality of the environment may influence the child's experiences. The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of children being hospitalized with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes and to obtain an increased understanding of the environmental influences on the children's lifeworld. The study used a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. The design is a combination of observation of the participant, interviews, and photographs. Nine children, aged between 7 and 12 years, participated in the study. The data were collected between October 2008 and February 2010 and analysed in accordance with thematic analysis as described by van Manen. The children experienced change through recognition and adaptation. They perceived the environment as strange but still comfortable because of the "child-friendly" atmosphere, close contact with their relatives, and access to private space. The children were gradually able to adapt to their new life; they perceived their illness through bodily changes and developed practical skills and understanding. The findings underscored the necessity for an emphasis on the mutual relationship between the body and its environment. Bodily changes that occur during illness may lead to changes in one's perception of the environment. Children seem to be particularly affected when the body appears alien and the hospital environment is unfamiliar. A well-adapted environment, active involvement, and the incorporation of new habits are significant elements of gradually returning to a more familiar life. However, the child's new life requires alertness to the body's signals and acclimation to a demanding diabetes treatment regime. All these factors remind children of their body's needs and experiences and influence their lifeworld.
医院环境对儿童的影响很少被调查。然而，最近，住院儿童的观点已经被考虑在内。住院和面临疾病是儿童日常生活中的巨大变化，环境质量可能会影响儿童的体验。本研究旨在调查新诊断为 1 型糖尿病的住院儿童的经历，并增加对环境对儿童生活世界影响的理解。本研究采用了一种解释学现象学的方法。该设计是参与者观察、访谈和照片的结合。9 名年龄在 7 至 12 岁的儿童参加了这项研究。数据收集于 2008 年 10 月至 2010 年 2 月，并按照 van Manen 描述的主题分析进行分析。孩子们通过认知和适应来体验变化。他们认为环境很陌生，但由于“儿童友好”的氛围、与亲人的密切接触和私人空间的获取，仍然感到舒适。孩子们逐渐能够适应他们的新生活；他们通过身体变化来感知自己的疾病，并发展实践技能和理解。研究结果强调了必须强调身体及其环境之间的相互关系。疾病期间发生的身体变化可能导致对环境的感知发生变化。当身体看起来陌生，医院环境不熟悉时，儿童似乎受到的影响特别大。一个适应良好的环境、积极的参与和新习惯的融入是逐渐回归更熟悉的生活的重要因素。然而，儿童的新生活需要注意身体的信号，并适应苛刻的糖尿病治疗方案。所有这些因素都提醒儿童注意身体的需求和体验，并影响他们的生活世界。
