Chapter 16: Preparing children and young people for hospitalisation

ANSWERS TO ACTIVITY 16.3: CRITICAL THINKING

  • Read the relevant chapter in another children’s and young people’s nursing textbook and make notes on the extent to which the two sources agree on the principal points in relation to this issue. It would also be helpful to access the evidence presented in this other chapter and think about the quality of the evidence presented in these sources. Make notes for yourself on what makes you believe that this is good quality evidence.
  • Which articles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child are relevant in this situation and which might ensure a better outcome from the child’s point of view if they are observed? (Think in particular about those articles which are concerned with participation.)

Answer: The content of the chapter investigates factors which children may find upsetting about the hospital experience including strangers, disrupted routines, unpleasant sights, sounds and procedures, a degree of separation from parents, carers, siblings, etc.

ANSWERS TO ACTIVITY 16.4: REFLECTIVE PRACTICE

Consider the planned admission of a 7-year-old for an ENT procedure.

  • How can this child’s admission be made as comfortable and constructive as possible?

Now consider the emergency admission of a 12-year-old who has dislocated her patella trying to escape from bullies.

  • What are the special considerations in this case to help ensure this child’s safety and wellbeing?

Consider the return admission of an 18-year-old who has had inequality of leg length treated with an external fixator which now needs to be removed following successful treatment

  • What are the factors in making this admission as comfortable as possible in the light of this young person’s age and previous experience?