The effects of habilitative hospital admission on self-care, self-esteem, and frequency of physical care.

The effects of a habilitative hospital admission for the multidisciplinary teaching of activities of daily living were investigated with 3 children with spina bifida and 1 child with juvenile arthritis. Specific evaluation tools included analysis of individualized goals, the Klein-Bell Activity of Daily Living Scale (Klein & Bell, 1979), the Physical Child Care Record (Johnson & Dietz, 1985), and the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale (Piers & Harris, 1967). The children were evaluated on hospital admission, at discharge, and 3 months after discharge. The results show that hospital admission can be an effective means of increasing independence and decreasing frequency of physical care by parents. Some changes in self-esteem occurred in both directions; however, these changes may be attributed to variables other than hospitalization or changes in self-care status.