[School in hospital: an opportunity for the hospitalized child to overcome the illness risk].
AIM: The paper reports research on the subject of "Overcoming the illness risk in the School in Hospital service" the aim of which was to monitor this particular service so as to assess whether or not the activities proposed are directed by the model of overcoming inherent risks as defined and reported here. Four research directions were taken to verify the hypothesis whereby the service takes on a supportive-transformative value which enables the hospitalized child to study through his/her illness and is thus able to develop by activating support, protection and diagnosis functions. METHODS: The investigation was carried out using the single case methodology which provided for continuous observation lasting for the entire hospital period in the paediatric wards of 2 hospital in Sicily. The research involved 58 children aged between 7 and 12; chronically ill or long-stay patients, and 100 mothers of hospitalized children. The research also observed the effects of the intervention activated by "School in Hospital" on the child and on his reference models. Various instruments of an observational, projective and psycho-social investigation type were utilized in relation to the 2 main subjects of the research, the development outcomes on the subjects involved and the activities proposed by the service. RESULTS: The overall results confirm the supportive-transformative value of the "School in Hospital" service. CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained suggest that the service should be promoted within hospital structures as a specific form of the caring approach.