Preparation of children for hospitalisation at the Johannesburg Hospital

Abstract

When a child enters hospital, he enters an alien environment. He is leaving the security o f home and family and entering a world that is not only foreign, but intrusive (Klein and Satterthwaite, 1980; p.60). Research has shown that one quarter of our population consists of children, and that almost half of them will spend at least one night in hospital before reaching the age of seven.