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It is a mark of respect for children that their views around their healthcare are listened to and considered. To date, too little attention has been paid to children�s views and experiences of admission to hospital for surgery. This paper presents findings from a constructivist grounded theory study of children�s experiences of admission to hospital for surgery (from their perspectives). Age appropriate data collection techniques were used and included interviews with children and their drawings and stories. Ten children, aged 6�12 years, who were admitted to hospital for surgery participated in the research. The children were able to clearly articulate aspects of their experience, including their fears and anxieties, the things they enjoyed and the things that assisted them to cope with their experience. The substantive theory developed was �children�s reframing of their sense of selves to incorporate the experiences of hospitalization and surgery�. Children require information and support to alleviate their anxieties around the time of their surgery. With pressures on children�s services, increased day surgery rates and shorter admissions, nurses who care for children around this time are challenged to find ways of knowing each child�s story and the fears that they have.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	children�s participation, family-centred care, nurse�child interaction, qualitative approaches, therapeutic relationships
Research Division:	Medical and Health Sciences
Research Group:	Nursing
Research Field:	Clinical Nursing: Secondary (Acute Care)
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Health and Support Services
Objective Field:	Nursing
UTAS Author:	Ford, K (Dr Karen Ford)
ID Code:	75819
Year Published:	2011
Web of Science® Times Cited:	13
Deposited By:	Health Sciences B
Deposited On:	2012-02-16
Last Modified:	2017-11-03
Downloads:	1 View Download Statistics