title: Actual implementation of sick children's rights in Italian pediatric units: a descriptive study based on nurses' perceptions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Several charters of rights have been issued in Europe to solemnly proclaim the rights of children during their hospital stay. However, notwithstanding such general declarations, the actual implementation of hospitalized children's rights is unclear. The purpose of this study was to understand to which extent such rights, as established by the two main existing charters of rights, are actually implemented and respected in Italian pediatric hospitals and the pediatric units of Italian general hospitals, as perceived by the nurses working in them.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study. A 12-item online questionnaire was set up and an invitation was sent by email to Italian pediatric nurses using professional mailing lists and social networks. Responders were asked to score to what extent each right is respected in their hospital using a numeric scale from 1 (never) to 5 (always).
  
  
  RESULTS
  536 questionnaires were returned. The best implemented right is the right of children to have their mothers with them (mean score 4.47). The least respected one is the right of children to express their opinion about care (mean 3.01). Other rights considered were the right to play (4.29), the right to be informed (3.95), the right to the respect of privacy (3.75), the right to be hospitalized with peers (3.39), the right not to experience pain ever (3.41), and the right to school (3.07). According to the majority of nurses, the most important is the right to pain relief. Significant differences in the implementation of rights were found between areas of Italy and between pediatric hospitals and pediatric units of general hospitals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to the perception of pediatric nurses, the implementation of the rights of hospitalized children in Italian pediatrics units is still limited.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy. sofia.bisogni@unifi.it.
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bisogni
authors.affiliation: Don Gnocchi Foundation, Florence, Italy. corinna.aringhieri@gmail.it.
authors.forename: Corinna
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aringhieri
authors.affiliation: Meyer Children's University Hospital of Florence, Florence, Italy. k.mcgreevy@meyer.it.
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McGreevy
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy. nicole.olivini@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Olivini
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, University of Sevilla, Seville, Spain. joserafael@us.es.
authors.forename: José Rafael Gonzalez
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.affiliation: Meyer Children's University Hospital of Florence, Florence, Italy. daniele.ciofi@meyer.it.
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ciofi
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy. albertamarino@hotmail.it.
authors.forename: Alberta Marino
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Merlo
authors.affiliation: Health Authority of Florence, Torregalli Hospital, Florence, Italy. paola.mariotti@asf.toscana.it.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mariotti
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy. filippo.festini@unifi.it.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Festini
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D002673:Child, Hospitalized; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006748:Hospital Departments / Q000941:ethics*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000941:ethics*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D009726:Nurses; D028701:Patient Rights; D010372:Pediatrics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires