THE PEDIATRIC CONVALESCENCE HOSPITAL

Abstract

There are several compelling reasons to re-evaluate programs for hospitalized children. These derive from the varied behavioral and biologic requirements that assume importance based on the length of time necessary for a child to be in a hospital. There is a need to focus multidisciplinary staff attention on the child who requires 30 to 90 days, or more, extended care. The philosophy and programs of most acute, short-stay pediatric hospitals give little attention to these special needs because they are primarily concerned with immediate life-threatening situations. The intermediate-stay convalescent hospital has as its primary focus the needs of chronically sick children. Another important factor is the reduced cost of such care, usually running about one-third to one-half the per diem cost of the acute, short stay. Also, the opportunities for conducting teaching and research programs with convalescent children are greatly expanded. Too many pediatric training programs today provide candidates with depth exposure to other than the initial effects of illness. Too often, the effects of prolonged illness on the child, his family, and community are ignored, leaving large gaps of knowledge in the preparation of the pediatricians of the future. The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, D.C., draws its patients from several acute, shortstay hospitals, and is a proposed model for this type of programming.