Preparation of Children for Hospitalization: A Selected Review of the Research Literature

Abstract

An overview of the empirical literature on the preparation of children for hospitalization and surgery reveals a number of methodological inadequacies which subject the data to multiple interpretations. These investigations often lack appropriate control groups, do not control for relevant variables, and attempt to assess the child's emotional response to hospitalization without demonstrating the reliability of the measures used. As a result, the efficacy of a number of procedures presumed to facilitate the child's adjustment to the hospital experience remains to be clearly demonstrated.