小児病棟、付き添い入院が当たり前 気ままなリライト136
The disparity between ideal and actual pediatric inpatient care has become a pressing societal challenge. With persistent nursing shortages, the responsibility of caregiving often falls on the families of hospitalized children, especially mothers. Expected to remain by their child’s side at all times, these mothers have become de facto caregivers in many pediatric wards. The relentless demand for 24-hour care—filling the gaps left by insufficient hospital support—is gradually exhausting the strength and joy that define a mother’s unconditional love.
The fiscal 2023 survey by the Children and Family Agency has shed light on the reality of care practices across hospitals with pediatric wards. Of the 751 hospitals targeted, only 349 responded. Less than half of those respondents employed childcare workers or nursing assistants. About 44% of the respondents, constrained by nursing staff shortages, required family accompaniment. This percentage not fully reflected the actual conditions of pediatric inpatient care, as highlighted by an NPO survey of individuals who have accompanied a hospitalized child. According to this survey, nearly 80% of respondents felt compelled to comply with hospital requests for accompaniment, despite policies stating it is optional. The agency’s survey further discovered that 36% of hospitals either experienced patients avoiding hospitalization or arranging transfers to other facilities, driven by the inability to provide adequate care without family accompaniment or the families’ perceptions of such insufficiencies.
The agency's survey has provided a behind-the-scenes look at pediatric care in hospitals, highlighting the heavy reliance on family members staying with hospitalized children. Hospitals frequently cited 'the child feels emotionally safer with a parent present' as the primary reason for overnight stays. This emphasis on parental presence, coupled with parents' perceptions of nurses being too overwhelmed to provide adequate care, blurs the boundaries between parental and professional responsibilities. As a result, families accompanying their sick children often face an excessive burden. The survey found that 69% of hospitals have not taken proactive steps to clearly differentiate between the non-medical support provided by families and the medical care that should be handled by nursing staff. Only 29% of hospitals confirmed that medical care is exclusively in the hands of professional nurses.
Caring for a hospitalized child, a role typically assumed by professionals, imposed a significant emotional burden on parents, particularly in hospitals lacking a supportive caregiving environment. The needs of nearly constant care, with parents dedicating upwards of six hours daily and some even providing round-the-clock care, took a heavy toll on their physical and mental health. With 71% of hospitals failing to provide meals for caregivers, many parents turned to convenience store food, resulting in poor dietary habits. Furthermore, the absence of cots or futons for accompaniment in 15% of hospitals forced many parents to share a bed with their child, often resulting in sleep deprivation.