During morning rounds, I introduced myself to the parent of a patient with bronchiolitis. As trainees, we are taught the medical management of bronchiolitis and how to set families’ expectations for the course of illness. However, we are not taught how to help families cope with the stress of a hospitalization. As we entered the room to discuss her child’s illness, the mother was on edge. Although her son was due to feed, she firmly requested that we let him sleep. Then she glanced at the textbook in her lap, remarking that her child was finally comfortable. Although she had not slept herself, she needed to catch up with her schoolwork. This interaction prompted our team to consider whether this mother’s stress, the challenge she felt juggling her son’s illness with her own responsibilities, was affecting her son’s clinical course. Could the stress of this hospitalization be toxic to her?...
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May 01 2016
Can Hospitalization Precipitate Toxic Stress?
Anita N. Shah, DO;
aPediatrics, Division of Hospital Medicine, and
Address correspondence to Anita N. Shah, DO, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave, MLC 9016, Cincinnati, OH 45229. E-mail: anita.shah@cchmc.org
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Karen E. Jerardi, MD;
Karen E. Jerardi, MD
aPediatrics, Division of Hospital Medicine, and
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Katherine A. Auger, MD;
Katherine A. Auger, MD
aPediatrics, Division of Hospital Medicine, and
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Andrew F. Beck, MD
Andrew F. Beck, MD
aPediatrics, Division of Hospital Medicine, and
bDivision of General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
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Address correspondence to Anita N. Shah, DO, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave, MLC 9016, Cincinnati, OH 45229. E-mail: anita.shah@cchmc.org
POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: The authors have indicated they have no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose.
Pediatrics (2016) 137 (5): e20160204.
Article history
Accepted:
January 21 2016
Citation
Anita N. Shah, Karen E. Jerardi, Katherine A. Auger, Andrew F. Beck; Can Hospitalization Precipitate Toxic Stress?. Pediatrics May 2016; 137 (5): e20160204. 10.1542/peds.2016-0204
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