CHILDREN IN HOSPITAL

New Zealand Listener, Volume 28, Issue 720, 1 May 1953, Page 5

CHILDREN IN HOSPITAL

Sir,-I have just listened to a discussion from 3YA on the visiting of children in hospital. In my opinion (I am a trained nurse) one cannot explain the routine of a children’s ward. ' Some parents are very apprehensive of hospitals, they bring their children to be admitted, and that fear is conveyed to the child. The nurses reassure the children, and they settle, only to be disturbed by the parents during visiting hours. The very young child does not know why the mother has to go and leave it-more tears and more reassurance. Then you always find the fond parent who yisits his child post-operatively. Perhaps this child has had a tonsillectomy in the morning, and you have given him the prescribed nepenthe and he is sleeping, but the parent must wake him up. As for parents giving treatment, you could hardly expect a parent to sterilise a tray, draw up so many units of penicillin, and administer it at 6.0 p.m.. 10.0 p.m. 2.0 am., 6.0 am.; it just wouldn’t be practicable, If you have surgical cases, e.g., repair of hare-lip, your aim is to keep the child contented; an emotionally upset child is detrimental to that particular surgery, I do not think that hospital visiting of children is a good thing; if their stay in hospital is short, there is surely no necessity to visit them. If the illness is chronic, once a week is sufficient, with a daily letter to a child old enough to read it, and a parcel of books and crayon, We don’t mind scrubbing crayons off the cots; but, believe me, trying to pacify a wardful of crying children after visiting hours-perhaps the broadcasting station could go along and make a fre-

cording.

J. C.

RALPH-SMITH

(Christchurch).