DETERMINATION OF HOSPITAL PERCEPTION FOR HEALTHY CHILDREN: A DEFINITIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: Children's perceptions of hospitals vary depending on their developmental levels and needs. Determining a child's perception of hospitals and the factors that affect it is extremely important for approaching the child. Aim: To evaluate the general perceptions of healthy children about hospitals based on their past experiences. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional and relational study was completed between March and April 2025 with 711 primary school students in the 8-10 age group who are receiving primary school education in Türkiye. Data were collected face to face with the "Participant Introduction Form" and the "Hospital Perception Scale for Healthy Children". The scale is a 25-item, three-point Likert-type scale with six sub-dimensions (“Separation”, “Invasive-noninvasive procedures”, “Fear and loss of control”, “Body image”, “Physiological needs” and “Hospital environment”). Increasing scale scores indicate negative hospital perceptions. Independent two-sample t test (Independent t Test) and One Way ANOVA analyses were used in the study. Results: The mean score of the children on the “Hospital Perception Scale for Healthy Children” was determined as 21.88±1.51, indicating a low level of negative hospital perception. It was determined that the negative hospital perception decreased as the grade increased (p<0.05). It was determined that the sub-dimensions of the scale; “Separation”, “Invasive-noninvasive interventions”, “Fear and loss of control” and “Hospital environment” were more negative. It was found that children who had been hospitalized before, had a chronic disease, or had Covid had a more negative perception of the hospital, and that children with a negative perception of the hospital did not go for regular check-ups (p<0.05).Discussion and Conclusion: It is very important that children who have been hospitalized, have a chronic disease, and have had Covid have a more negative perception of the hospital, and that children with a negative perception of the hospital do not go to regular check-ups. Breaking negative hospital perceptions and explaining to children that the hospital is a health institution that should be visited when necessary is an important and recommended situation in terms of facilitating health services in the hospital. It is recommended to increase the necessary education.