Appreciation and coping strategies adopted by children hospitalized for COVID-19 and their primary caregivers.
Bárbara Radieddine Guimarães, Juliana Barony da Silva, Nayara Luiza Henriques and 4 others
PMID 42561247WHAT IT FOUND
Children hospitalized for COVID-19 and their caregivers described fear, boredom, isolation, pain and worry about death.
They coped through family contact, screens, play, self-care, faith, staying with the child and talking with staff.
Key findings
01Children reported fear and isolation as key negative hospital experiences.
02Children used family contact, screens, and play to cope.
03Caregivers reported fear or thoughts of death, and they used video calls, faith, and conversations with professionals to cope.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The interviews happened five months to a year and a half after hospitalization, so memory may have affected accounts. Of 83 children in the source database, 44 had no usable contact information, 10 did not answer, 7 were not hospitalized for suspected or confirmed COVID-19, and 7 refused. The sample was small, came from one city, and 8 of 10 children were treated in private hospitals, so it may not represent public hospitals. The study was done during a specific pandemic period, so context and variants may have shaped reports. It describes experiences and coping strategies, not tested effects.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these coping strategies as proven treatments. The study reports what children and caregivers said they used, not whether the strategies improved outcomes.