Assessing The Quality Of Pediatric Care From Children's Experience.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the impact of disease and hospitalization on children's quality of life. METHOD: Three measures were administered to 105 participants ranging in age from 6 to 15 years, from public hospitals in Castilla y Leon (Spain). Data were collected throughout 9 months. Measures were the Survey on Subjective Perception of Hospitalization and Hospital (CPSH), the quality of life survey KINDL, and the health survey SF-36. Internal consistency coefficients were acceptable for most of scales and subscales. Results indicated that children experience a decrease in their quality of life, mainly in daily living activities and psychological well being; that emotional states impact their quality of life, and that hospitals need to make some changes to better meet the needs of hospitalized children. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions, at an organizational and individual level, may help improve the well-being of hospitalized children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]