Some diseases require hospitalization in an inpatient unit. Such a need may arise for patients of any age. A child’s stay in the hospital is fraught with a number of issues. Indeed, for children, a hospital is a frightening and unfamiliar place where you have to spend several days, or maybe even weeks. Let's try to figure out what should be the care of a child in a hospital, what conditions must be created for your offspring for a speedy recovery. How to behave to parents and what to do under no circumstances.
Hospitalization of children of different ages
There are general recommendations for parents that help them find the right approach to treating their children in the inpatient unit. The mode of stay of the child in the hospital depends primarily on his age. That is why juvenile patients are conditionally divided into four groups:
- newborns and babies up to three years;
- preschool children;
- schoolchildren not older than 13 years old;
- teenagers.
Recommendations for parents of the smallest patients
This category includes babies not older than three years. If such a small child is admitted to the hospital, the presence of mom or dad next to him is mandatory. In this case, the parent or the legal representative of the baby will have to bear responsibility before the doctors. Being in the hospital does not affect the psycho-emotional state of infants and toddlers. They easily adapt to the new environment due to the presence of a loved one next to them.
In this situation, the parent will have a much harder time. Hospital life is significantly different from home. In a children's hospital, children are patients, and mothers, fathers, grandmothers or guardians only accompany them. If a child is admitted to the hospital, this, unfortunately, does not mean that there are conditions for an adult. For the lack of a berth, food, shower and other inconveniences, you need to be prepared in advance.
During hospitalization, a bed is allocated for a child not older than one year, and a separate berth for the parent. There are also situations when a mother gives birth to a child in a hospital and immediately after the maternity hospital the baby is sent to the neonatal pathology department, for example, to treat jaundice. In this case, the presence of mom in the room is discussed individually. A woman can spend the night in the mother’s room, and in the afternoon be next to the child’s couveuse. The option of daylight hours at the crib of the baby and home sleepover is possible. If the area of the room allows, mom can put a couch, making it possible to stay around the clock with the child.
Parents should try to maintain normal relations with their roommates, with medical staff, and with the attending physician - this will be a kind of guarantee of help and support in any difficult situation. In addition, it is necessary to observe the regime of the medical institution, to accustom to the daily routine of the child. In the hospital, everything happens according to the schedule and certain rules, which it is desirable to fulfill from the moment of admission to the department - so it will be easier for the crumb to get used to the new situation.
What things to take for the baby
First of all, these are diapers. You don’t have to bring huge packages with you right away. When packing in the wardrobe and folding the bag, prepare a supply of diapers for several days, for a maximum of a week. If this is not enough, you can buy them at the nearest pharmacy kiosk, which are usually located in hospitals.
Prepare baby bottles, nipples, milk formula is necessary for those mothers whose babies are breast-fed. In most children's departments of infants provide food, which is prepared in the dairy kitchen. However, the mixture is intended for infants up to a year, for older children it is not provided. It is better to take your packaging in case you are feeding your baby not with the usual Baby porridge, but, for example, with more expensive hypoallergenic mixtures.
And, of course, diapers. This is a mandatory attribute for children of this age, which should always be in stock. Even if you use diapers, a pair of diapers from a bike and chintz will not interfere with the arrangement in the ward. They can fill a crib, use instead of bedspreads and spread under the feet of the baby during planting on a pot. In addition, changing a diaper under a febrile child is much easier than a huge sheet.
What a child of any age cannot do without
Children stay in the hospital from several days to several weeks, so first of all it is necessary to take care of replaceable clothes. If the treatment takes place in the cold season, then, in addition to light T-shirts, pants, tights, vests, underwear, you must definitely take a warm set of clothes. The most convenient option for a hospital is a tracksuit. In it, it will be convenient for the child to go to the procedures, go out into the corridor while the quartz lamp is working in the room or meet relatives in the vestibule. For little ones, you definitely need to take a hat (for example, a light bike cap) or a sweatshirt with a hood. Also, every child who already knows how to walk needs house shoes. These should be sandals or slippers with washable soles.
Another indispensable thing that will be useful for every child in the hospital is wet wipes. With their help, you can fix a lot of minor troubles or wipe the child with them in the absence of the ability to take a shower. In addition to napkins, you should definitely take care of liquid soap for washing your hands. This is especially important if you put the child in an infectious diseases hospital: a liquid detergent, unlike a lumpy one, helps to avoid contact with other patients and roommates. The second option is more suitable for washing things. Do not forget about other things of personal hygiene (toothbrush, comb, etc.) and personal towels - a couple of pieces of a small size will be enough.
In some medical institutions, patients are required to have their own plates, forks, spoons, mugs. As for drinking, in stationary units patients are provided with boiled water. Often the look and smell of such water is impressive, so many parents who were in hospitals with their children are advised to stock up on filtered drinking water.
Well, and, of course, the items of "first" need, without which not a single young child can do, are toys. They will help to distract the baby during procedures that are unpleasant for him, injections, droppers, etc. Only items that are subject to disinfection can be taken to the inpatient department. Soft toys are prohibited in the hospital.
Is it possible for a parent to be in a hospital with a preschooler
This group includes children from three to seven years. Usually they are not yet able to service themselves. In accordance with legislation on the protection of the health of citizens in the Russian Federation, a small patient under four years of age is guaranteed the presence of a parent. According to the standards, the medical institution is obliged to unconditionally provide the mother or other legal representative of the child with a full bed with bedding and three meals a day, which is paid by the compulsory medical insurance fund.
To be constantly with a child who is more than 4 years old, there must be special medical indications. The basis for joint hospitalization is the decision of the attending doctor, which he takes at his discretion. If the doctor believes that there is no need in the presence of the parent, mom or dad will have no choice but to write a statement addressed to the head physician of the hospital and give his arguments in it why joint stay is necessary (for example, persistent fever, frequent bouts of vomiting in a child, etc. . d.). If this does not help, you should call the “hot line” of the Department of Health of the region or the central Ministry, contact the company of the insurer that issued the compulsory medical insurance policy, or write a complaint to the prosecutor.
In each region of the Russian Federation, municipalities are endowed with certain powers, so they have the right to extend guarantees for parents with children. For example, in some subjects, joint hospitalization is permitted not until four, but before five or six years of age. You can find out about the conditions for adults in hospitals in a particular region in the insurance company that issued the MHI policy.
What to do if it is not allowed to be near the child?
In this case, children have to adapt quickly and learn a lot without parental support. Whenever possible, parents try to find a “looker” behind their child. This role can be assigned to a teenager or the parent of another child lying in the ward, of course, with their consent. Having exchanged contact details with a temporary “looker”, mom can be calm, because in any unusual situation she will be contacted.
Be sure to check with your doctor what the child needs in the hospital. It is better to come to your offspring during the visiting hours of the attending doctor in order to receive first-hand information about the treatment of the child. Unlike older children, kindergarten kids are not yet able to accurately retell the recommendations of a specialist, and medical staff may not even know the answers to questions of interest. However, this does not mean that you do not need to maintain good relations with nurses. They also take part in the treatment of small patients and communicate with them, so you can always try to ask them how your child is doing.
A child in a hospital without parents
In this case, it is usually about students over seven years old. At this age, children are relatively independent, but they are not able to take care of themselves until the end. Mom needs to follow the things of her sick child. Despite the fact that patients of this age group seem quite responsible and serious, in reality they are still frivolous and careless. Nurses, as a rule, do not follow schoolchildren, as they pay more attention to babies.
In addition, at this age, children may already be interested in their disease, so do not be silent when a child asks questions about what is happening to him, when he will recover, etc. This can frighten a small patient, and children, as you know, tend to dramatize the situation. It should be simple and affordable phrases to answer all his questions, which will allow him to keep abreast of the situation and become more confident.
Unlike schoolchildren up to 12-13 years old, adolescents are quite independent and adult personalities. If the child is hospitalized, psychological support is required from the parents to a greater extent. Usually, there are no problems with adolescents staying in the inpatient unit if the parents bring them the necessary medicines, clothes, clean linen, and take away unnecessary or dirty things. At this age, children tolerate hospitalization normally, so parents can be given the following recommendations:
- Do not panic. Do not once again wind up yourself and worry about every trifle, turning the treatment of your offspring into a real tragedy.
- Behave with restraint. Do not distract doctors from treatment, see your child only during reception hours.
- Set your child for successful treatment and a favorable outcome. In order to feel confident, the child must see the calm reaction of the parents to what is happening and receive adequate and useful advice from them.
What documents and things mom needs
Preparing for treatment in a hospital is necessary not only for children, but also for parents accompanying them. Moms collect a bag for a child in the hospital first, but often from tears and emotions they completely forget about the most basic things for themselves.
To begin with, you should take care of the results of the last fluorographic study - it should be on hand. If during the last year you did not go through this procedure, it will be obliged to do it. In order not to lose time on trips to the clinic at the place of residence, you can try to agree to take a picture in the x-ray room of this medical institution, possibly for a fee. If the mother has to go to the hospital with the children, she may also need a fresh result of the enterobiosis test.
Hurriedly going to the hospital, it is important to provide all the nuances not only for a comfortable stay in the hospital, but also not to forget about yourself. In addition to the passport and the above test results, mom or dad will need:
- mobile phone charger to always be in touch with relatives;
- toothbrush, toothpaste and other hygiene items;
- hairbrush;
- napkins for intimate hygiene;
- a towel (in its absence, you can use flannel diapers);
- replaceable shoes (preferably flip flops, sandals or other shoes that can be soaked);
- clothes and bed linen (a bathrobe will be comfortable for a day stay in the hospital, and pajamas for a night).
It is possible that already in the early days, upon completion of organizational moments and the preparation of a treatment plan, the parent will have some free time. To use it for your own benefit, take a book, crosswords, tablet or music player with headphones to the hospital. In addition, the stay of parents with a child in the hospital gives them the right to receive sick leave. For its design you will need a personal medical policy.
What kind of food can I take with me to the children's hospital?
In budgetary institutions, it is not welcome to bring food with you, especially sweets, fatty and salty foods, chips, chocolate, carbonated drinks, but still every mother wants to treat her sick child and secretly gives her child forbidden food in the hospital. Yet this should not be done. Before reproaching a child with food prepared outside the hospital, it is advisable to consult with your doctor. You must be especially careful with allergens, because during the period of the illness, the baby’s body weakens, its immunity can give an unpredictable reaction even to familiar foods that were previously tolerated without problems.
Under the strictest ban is:
- bakery products;
- chocolate;
- sweet curd cheese;
- dishes from fatty meats;
- mushrooms;
- nuts
- honey;
- citrus;
- Strawberry;
- greenhouse vegetables.
Overfeeding a sick child in a hospital is undesirable, because his body needs strength to fight the disease, and not to digest large amounts of food. The emphasis is better on abundant drinking, and as a snack between meals, the baby can be given a banana or a glass of low-fat kefir.
Features of the stay of parents in the hospital with children
According to doctors and medical staff, mothers with a child in the hospital often refuse to comply with the disciplinary rules of the institution. In addition, parents, not knowing it themselves, often interfere with full treatment, and in some situations they harm the health of their own children. In medical practice, there have been cases that culminated in a tragic outcome due to non-compliance with doctoral prescriptions and appointments. Following the recommendations of a specialist is an important condition for the recovery of the child, but if it seems to you that the doctor is not competent enough, it is better to consult with other doctors or contact the insurance medical organization that issued the medical insurance policy.
We must not forget that excessive activity and increased parental attention to their child during joint hospitalization can become an unfavorable psycho-traumatic factor for other children in the general ward who are in the hospital on their own or are rarely visited by relatives.
The reason for most conflict situations that arise between parents and medical staff is the lack of legislative regulation of a number of important issues. For example, until a normative document has been adopted that would regulate the rules and conditions for access for relatives of patients to the intensive care unit, it would establish strict rules for visiting infectious institutions and medical indications for adults and children sharing with each other. Putting a child in a hospital is not difficult, but no budgetary institution is still able to provide him with comfortable conditions and proper care without the participation of parents. It is extremely important that the authorities improve the regulatory framework and develop the missing documents, the appearance of which will solve a lot of problems, avoid controversial situations, unfounded claims against doctors and hassle for the parents of small patients.
Infectious ward
The hostile associations with infectious hospitals are primarily associated with the fear of contracting a disease. However, subject to the basic rules of hygiene and caution, the chances of infection by an illness that easily moves through the air are negligible. Such diseases include measles, rubella, and chickenpox, which are usually treated at home or in a children's hospital detention center.
For children, however, as for adults, infectious health facilities are divided into two types, depending on the method of probable infection. In one department there are patients who became infected by airborne droplets, in the second - fecal-oral. In the infectious diseases hospital there are children with severe acute respiratory viral infections, diphtheria, whooping cough, scarlet fever, tonsillitis, bacterial etiology meningitis, and in the intestinal department with dysentery, salmonellosis, and viral hepatitis. In both cases, infection is possible only in the case of close contact with the patient.
Often there are reviews in which parents talk about how a child has to recover for a long time after a hospital specializing in the treatment of infectious diseases. There are frequent cases when children are admitted to the hospital, for example, with the flu, and after a lapse of time they also become infected with an intestinal infection. However, it is important to understand that medical staff are never consciously placed in the same room as patients with different types of infectious diseases.
Infection usually occurs for the following reasons:
- lack of elementary discipline in the inpatient unit;
- infection from outside (e.g. by visitors);
- undeveloped sanitary and hygienic skills in a child.
It should be understood that the hospitalization of a child with an infectious disease is a mandatory measure. The thing is that the manifestations of such an ailment can change several times during the day, which requires appropriate correction of the treatment program. There is nothing surprising in the fact that when diagnosing an infectious disease, the local pediatrician gives a referral to the infectious diseases hospital, rather than treating himself. At home, it is impossible to monitor the course of the disease and take urgent measures to change the well-being of the child, so you should not neglect the direction to the hospital.
What to advise parents
To begin with, mothers and fathers who find themselves in inpatient units with their offspring, it is important to understand that the main thing in the hospital is a doctor. No need to dispute the actions of medical staff, especially if you do not have a specialized education. Do you doubt the correctness of the decisions made by the specialist? Consult with another doctor, but do not interfere with the healing process just because it seems to you that the doctor is doing something wrong.
Do not insist on your presence during treatment procedures. Often, children who are treated alone with medical staff behave much calmer. If nurses do not offer the parent to attend, then this would be impractical and, possibly, on the contrary, would interfere with the healing process.
Usually, parents have many questions that they want to ask the doctor and nursing staff. However, not all mothers and fathers are able to ask them correctly, so it is advisable to write them in advance on a piece of paper. When communicating with a doctor, do not forget about courtesy. In difficult situations, when feelings and emotions prevail, anxious parents can behave aggressively, requiring doctors to do the impossible - urgently make a diagnosis or make a prognosis. Doctors usually try to minimize communication with inflated parents.
Do not forget to pay attention to adult children, especially if they are alone in the hospital. A child after treatment in a hospital without a mother becomes more independent and collected - this is a fact, but still the process cannot be left to chance. Always discuss with him over the phone and in person, how his day went, but do not rush to panic if something in his answers does not suit you. Children at any age interpret many things incorrectly, distort facts. Do not rush to make complaints to the medical staff or doctor, and first understand the situation.