Children's hospital

A children's hospital is a hospital which offers its services exclusively to children and adolescents. Most children's hospitals can serve children from birth up to the age of 18, or in some instances, children's hospitals' doctors may treat children until they finish high school. The number of children's hospitals proliferated in the 20th century, as pediatric medical and surgical specialties separated from internal medicine and adult surgical specialties.

Children's hospitals are characterized by greater attention to the psychosocial support of children and their families. Some children and young people have to spend relatively long periods in hospital, so having access to play and teaching staff can also be an important part of their care. With local partnerships this can include trips to local botanical gardens, zoo, and public libraries for instance.

In addition to psychosocial support, children's hospitals have the added benefit of being staffed by professionals who are trained in treating children. A medical doctor that undertakes vocational training in paediatrics must also be accepted for membership by a professional college before they can practice paediatrics. These include the Royal Australasian College of Physicians RACP, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health RCPCH, and the American Board of Pediatrics. In New Zealand the RACP offers vocational training in paediatrics. Once RACP training is completed the doctor is awarded the Fellowship of the RACP (FRACP) in paediatrics. While many normal hospitals can treat children adequately, pediatric specialists may be a better choice when it comes to treating rare afflictions that may prove fatal or severely detrimental to young children, in some cases before birth. Also, many children's hospitals will continue to see children with rare illnesses into adulthood, allowing for a continuity of care.

Similar to the creation of hospitals, the creation of children's hospitals was largely carried out by Christians and churches. Many Christians and churches saw it as part of their faith and duty to help the poor and sick. It was their duty not only to help the sick and poor, but also to help the members of society who were most vulnerable. Children were deemed vulnerable and victims of their situation largely because they could do very little to alter their economic situation. Prior to the creation of children's hospitals, factions of the church and their members helped established dispensaries to provide care for those in need. The dispensary movement and the push to cure the sick and poor in urban areas was also backed by Christian organizations. Urban areas were the main focus of early reformers because of their tendency to be overcrowded and their high mortality rate. Orphanages, another form of early child saving, were often run by churches, priests, nuns, and other members of the religious community. The founder of the first recognized foundling hospital, Thomas Coram, was devout Christian. As science advanced, many Christians were credited for making important medical discoveries. Early children's hospitals were usually founded by physicians along with Christian women who were mainly in charge of fundraising and caring for children alongside the physicians.

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