De Rosa Roberta, Siano Maria Anna, Colucci Angelo, De Anseris Anna Giulia Elena, Siani Paolo, Vajro Pietro, Savarese Giulia, Mandato Claudia
Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry "Scuola Medica Salernitana", Pediatrics Section, University of Salerno, 84081 Baronissi, Italy.
University Hospital San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi d'Aragona, 84131 Salerno, Italy.
Children (Basel). 2024 Feb 9;11(2):222. doi: 10.3390/children11020222.
Information obtained from children themselves regarding the characteristics of the ideal hospital that ensure well-being during a hospital stay is scarce. Here, we report the opinions, perceptions, and expectations of 700 children and adolescents about their experiences, assessed through a mixed-method research approach with age-appropriate questionnaires, three open-ended questions, and an analysis of optional pictorial and textual narratives. Most children indicated that, while they acknowledged the expertise of hospital staff, they also noted several shortcomings, e.g., insufficiently understandable medical information as well as emotional and cognitive support. The continuity of schooling and the right to suffer as little as possible were also critical issues. Adolescents valued in particular the quality of care and services provided, the hospital's adherence to equality and non-discrimination rights, and protection systems but negatively perceived several aspects related to play and participation. Significant differences in the co-occurrences of the most frequently used text terms with the keywords "hospital" and "child/adolescent" between age groups highlight variations in the way patients perceive and articulate their experiences within the hospital setting depending on the cognitive processes linked to age. In drawings, prevailing attention was placed on the physical context of the hospital room, with figures expressing mostly negative emotions. Specifically, in this regard, the main emotion in children was sadness, and, in adolescents, it was fear. Overall, these insights are pivotal in the context of our research objectives as they shed light on the nuanced preferences, needs, and perspectives of children and adolescents during their hospital stays. Recognizing the identified shortcomings, we propose recommendations emphasizing the improvement of medical communication clarity, enhancement of emotional and cognitive support, and the improvement of programs to avoid instructional gaps during hospital stays. Addressing these specific needs is critical for a more comprehensive approach to pediatric healthcare provision.
从儿童自身获取的关于确保住院期间舒适的理想医院特征的信息很少。在此，我们报告了700名儿童和青少年对其经历的看法、认知和期望，这些是通过一种混合方法研究途径评估得出的，该途径包括适合其年龄的问卷、三个开放式问题，以及对可选的图片和文字叙述的分析。大多数儿童表示，虽然他们认可医院工作人员的专业知识，但也指出了一些不足之处，例如医疗信息不够易懂，以及情感和认知支持不足。学业的连续性以及尽可能少受苦的权利也是关键问题。青少年尤其重视所提供的护理和服务质量、医院对平等和非歧视权利的遵守情况以及保护系统，但对与玩耍和参与相关的几个方面持负面看法。不同年龄组中最常用文本术语与关键词“医院”和“儿童/青少年”同时出现的显著差异突出了患者根据与年龄相关的认知过程在医院环境中感知和表达自身经历方式的差异。在绘画中，主要关注的是病房的物理环境，人物大多表达负面情绪。具体而言，在这方面，儿童的主要情绪是悲伤，青少年的主要情绪是恐惧。总体而言，这些见解对于我们的研究目标至关重要，因为它们揭示了儿童和青少年住院期间细微的偏好、需求和观点。认识到已发现的不足之处，我们提出了一些建议，强调提高医疗沟通的清晰度、增强情感和认知支持，以及改进相关项目以避免住院期间的教学差距。满足这些特定需求对于更全面的儿科医疗保健提供方法至关重要。
