The Hospitalization Perception by Adolescents: Contributions to Nursing Care

Objective: The study's aim was to understand the adolescents' perceptions regarding hospitalization and also to analyze how adolescents experience the hospitalization process. Methods: It is a field study with a qualitative approach and descriptive method, which has used the interview technique with semi-structured questions, developed in a specialized nurses' ward in a university hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Data collection period lasted from February to April 2016, where 14 adolescents within age group from 12 to 18 years old were interviewed. Results: From the grouped record units obtained, two categories were defined in relation to hospitalization, as follows: repercussions of the hospitalization process on adolescents' lives and forms of coping during hospitalization. Conclusion: It is concluded that nursing professionals need to know and understand the reality of the adolescent in order to offer a care capable of making them able to face both illness and hospitalization processes in a better way.