• A+
  • A
  • A-

Contact information

St-Elisabeth site - Uccle
02-614 20 00
St-Michel site - Etterbeek
02-614 30 00
Bella Vita Medical Center - Waterloo
02-614 42 00

Hospital stay (pediatrics)

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU STAY IN THE HOSPITAL?

At Admissions, on the ground floor

Your parents will have you registered. If you are not yet 15, you will be admitted to the paediatric unit. Only one of your parents can come with you (due to the pandemic). Come to the Paediatric ward on the 2nd floor, and bring your medical file.

On the paediatric ward

When you get there, a nurse will show you your room and your bed, and you can get settled in.

You will need to put on a special shirt for your surgery; the nurse will put a bracelet with your name on it around your wrist and ankle. You will also need to take off any jewellery (earrings, necklaces, etc.) and remove your nail polish, if you are wearing any.

If necessary, you will be given some pre-surgery medication, in the form of a pink syrup.

After that, you can go and wait in your room, or in the games room.

When the surgeon calls you, the nurse will give you a cap and take you – on your bed – to the surgery ward.

Mum or dad can come with you the pre-anaesthetics ward. Your blankie, stuffed animal or toy will come with you and will stay close to you until you get back to your room.

In the operating room

In there, everyone will be dressed in blue. A nurse will welcome you and bring you to a room where you can watch TV and wait for your surgery, together with mum or dad.

After that, you can check out the operating room. A nurse will bring in machines which show your heart beat, your breathing... And it won’t hurt at all!

After that, the anaesthesiologist will make you sleep. You will breathe through a mask and just gently go to sleep. That is called anaesthesia. Thanks to anaesthesia, you won’t feel a thing. The surgeon won’t operate on you until you are asleep.

On the recovery ward

After your surgery, you will be brought to a room to wake up, together with your blankie, stuffed animal or toy. Mum or dad will also be there.

 After some time, you can return to the room and the paediatric nurse will come to fetch you.

In your room

Only one of your parents can always stay with you (due to the pandemic).

You could feel a little bit of pain but if you do, we will give you some medicine.

You might feel a bit sick or throw up a bit. That is a normal reaction to the medicine the doctor gave you to make you sleep.

Usually, you will have a fine tube in your arm, secured with some tape, and possibly a bag with a liquid : that is called a perfusion, which is necessary to make you feel better until you can drink yourself.

Going home

Before you go home, you will need to drink and pee and, most importantly, wait until the surgeon dismisses you from the hospital and gives you all your papers and medical advice. The surgeon and/or his/her assistant can only see you after they finish their other work, so that might not be until the late afternoon

If you don’t feel well, or if your surgery requires you to stay in the hospital a few days, mum or dad can stay with you at night.

STAYING OVERNIGHT IN THE HOSPITAL

During your child’s stay, an adult (preferably the mother or father) can spend the night so that everyone can enjoy a quiet sleep. The hospital provides a folding bed with sheets, a meal and shower facilities. For further information regarding possible additional charges, please contact the Admissions Office at the ground floor of the St Elisabeth site. It is open from Monday to Friday, from 7:30am to 6:15pm and on Sundays from 2pm to 5:45pm.

 The accompanying adult can be served meals throughout the course of the child’s hospitalisation. Please talk to a nurse to order your meals in advance.

With regard to the telephone in the room, TV, the Wi-Fi connection, the facilities provided by the hospital, etc., you will find all the information you need by clicking here.

WHAT DOES YOUR CHILD’S ROOM LOOK LIKE?

The rooms include a maximum of two beds. There are a bathroom and shower in the room. Depending on the specific needs relating to your child’s hospitalisation and/or the number of children hospitalised in the unit, the child can, during the stay, be asked to change rooms and/or to share a room.

The variety of situations likely to arise often causes the staff to request the help of the parents to improve the comfort of each child and to provide suitable healthcare.

HOW WILL MY CHILD BE CARED FOR?

Every morning, a nurse will come in to administer the medication and/or treatment that your child requires. If necessary, she can help with washing your child. She can also accompany a child who has to undergo an examination.

WHAT IS A DAY IN HOSPITAL LIKE?

The organisation of the nursing care is customised and tailored to every patient in order to respect the habits, sleep cycles and waking hours of your child, to the extent possible.

Here are a few reference points throughout a day in the paediatric unit

  • Approximately 7am: nurse reports (transmittal of information) and shift changes
  • Approximately 8am, 8:30am: breakfast
  • From 9am to 11am: washing and visit by the morning shift team, by the physiotherapist, etc.
  • From 10am to 1pm: visit by the paediatrician and his/her assistants. For surgical patients, the surgeon and/or the assistant will come by during the day, depending on their operating schedule.
  • From noon to 12:30pm: lunch
  • From 1:30pm to 2pm: nurse reports and shift change
  • Approximately 2:30pm: visit by the afternoon shift team, care, etc.
  • Approximately 3pm: teatime
  • From 5pm to 6pm: dinner and possible additional visit by the paediatrician
  • From 8:45pm to 9:15pm: nurse reports and shift change

THE NURSE REPORTS

The nurse reports are important moments when information relating to the treatment of your hospitalised child is shared. To ensure the best possible continuity and healthcare quality, we kindly request that you do not interrupt these exchanges (except in the event of an emergency). They take place: from 7am to 7:30am, from 1:30pm to 2pm and from 8:45pm to 9:15pm.

We advise you to ring from your room, and the nurse in charge of your child’s hospital stay will come around as soon as she can.

WHAT WILL YOUR CHILD BE EATING?

The child will receive meals that are suited to his/her age, diet and illness:

  • Breakfast: bread
  • Lunch: hot meal
  • Teatime: fruit compote or bread
  • Dinner: cold meal

Meals provided by hospital catering are suited to your specific needs with regard to your hospitalization. The Europe Hospitals accept no responsibility whatsoever in respect of storage, hygiene or quality of food other than that provided by hospital catering. Thank you for your understanding. 

WHAT ENTERTAINMENT IS THERE FOR MY CHILD?

In each room there is a television set.

A playroom is available in the corridor, so that your child (if he/she is not in medical isolation) can play there and find some distraction.

Books and games are also available and kept under key in a cabinet. You may ask a nurse for the key, remembering to return it afterwards. Furthermore, the playroom must be tidied when you have finished using it.

WHAT COLLABORATION DO WE OFFER PARENTS?

It is a fact that children always feel safer when they are with their parents, and this fact is particularly true in hospitals. After discussions with the nursing staff, you may take part in the care of your child, such as hygiene care, nutrition, temperature monitoring, changing diapers, etc. If necessary, the nurse can provide some guidance for these tasks. It is of the utmost importance that we consider one another as partners, respecting our mutual responsibilities. 

During the morning, we will provide care to your child with your participation. We are committed to ensuring that your child is in as little pain as possible, and we need your help in this context.  For the purpose of ensuring privacy and maintaining the protective and safe atmosphere of the room, technical treatments, that are potentially painful, are administered in the examinations room. It may happen that you are asked to leave the room or the treatment room during an examination, this request being made to ensure that the treatment can be properly administered.

 Note: if your child has to undergo examinations, these are performed on call (example: radiography, ultrasound, ENT notice, etc.).

To ensure that the room remains a pleasant place, we kindly ask you to keep it tidy, to fold the bed of the accompanying adult during the day, and to talk softly.

WHAT PRECAUTIONS MUST BE TAKEN IF YOUR CHILD IS CONTAGIOUS?

Children are more vulnerable to infections. This is why we ask you to follow some hygiene measures.

In the case of certain viral infections, your child will be isolated to protect the other children in the unit. When your child is in isolation, we ask you to comply with the following instructions:

  • Do not take the child out of the room.
  • Limit visits, especially by brothers and sisters.
  • Carefully wash and disinfect your hands when leaving the room.
  • Avoid all contact with other children.

Generally speaking, a hospital is a place where healthcare is provided: it is preferable not to let your children play on the floor, without slippers, etc. and we request that you try to prevent them from making too much noise, so as to let the other patients rest.

WHAT CAN I DO TO ENSURE EVERYONE’S SAFETY?

Proper information shared among healthcare professionals and parents is necessary to establish a climate of trust and to administer high-quality treatments. Therefore, it is important to inform us when you are leaving the unit, to let us know when you will be back, and to warn us if you are running late. When you leave the room, make sure you have returned your child to his/her bed with the bars raised. A hospitalised child is not authorised to leave the unit without the prior authorisation of the doctor.

We advise against bringing valuables and leaving them unsupervised in a room. Take your valuables with you when you leave the room.

Carts with computers in the corridor are work tools exclusively for the use of the staff and are there to ensure that your child receives adequate healthcare. We ask you to understand that we may be busy on the computers and, to the extent possible, not to disturb us when we are working on them so as to prevent errors. If you need the help of a nurse, please ring for us and we will come as soon as possible.

WHAT ARE THE AVAILABLE FACILITIES?

  • A cold water fountain is located at the end of the corridor, in front of room 263;
  • A coffee machine, also dispensing hot water and tea, is available in the corridor, but is exclusively reserved to parents.
  • In the cabinet above the water fountain, you will find vases for flowers.
  • If needed, you can always call for the unit’s psychologist, an interpreter and/or a social assistant. Mention your request to the nurse in charge of your child’s healthcare or your paediatrician.
  • A microwave oven is available in the relaxation room, next to the maternity ward.
  • In the ground floor entrance hall, there is a boutique and a “Europalis” canteen.
  • On the first floor, there is a restaurant: “La mezzanina” (room-service in the evenings from 6pm). (06/12/2021 - currently closed)
  • On the second floor, there is a self-service restaurant, the “Medirest”.

WHEN WILL YOUR CHILD BE ALLOWED HOME?

The doctor treating your child decides when your child can be discharged.

If, having been informed of the risks, you decide to take your child out against medical advice, the healthcare staff will ask you to sign a legal form releasing the staff from all responsibility.

 Your child may leave the hospital once his/her catheter has been removed and, as necessary, having received the documents and necessary prescriptions and his/her medication. If you need to have documents filled in for insurance purposes and/or if you need certificates for work or for school, do not hesitate to mention these to the paediatrician.

 

Source: Head nurse Pediatrics - Last update: 21/09/2022