Spiritual needs of children with complex healthcare needs in hospital.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the views of hospitalised school-aged children with complex healthcare needs related to spiritual care. This could help inform national policies and raise awareness of the impact that a stay in an acute paediatric hospital can have on the spiritual needs of some of the children who use the NHS.


METHODS
Pictures used in previous (US) studies were used to facilitate story telling, enabling children to talk about concepts that may not have emerged through direct conversation. A convenience sample of five hospitalised children were presented with the pictures one at a time and asked open-ended questions about each picture. Data analysis involved identifying emerging themes from the transcriptions using a grounded theory approach.


RESULTS
The main themes to emerge from the interview data were: the role of the child's relationships with family, friends and healthcare professionals; the impact of the hospital environment on the child; coping with invasive procedures; belief--children's views about their health and belief system.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a need for all healthcare professionals to recognise that children have spiritual needs that can include religious beliefs, and that it is part of their duty of care to attempt to identify and meet such needs.
Reverend Alister Bull
Yorkhill Division/Women and Children's Directorate, Greater Glasgow Health Board.
Gillies
Marjorie
M
D002648:Child; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D012606:Scotland; D029181:Spirituality; D013222:State Medicine