Daily physical activity and perception of condition severity among male and female adolescents with congenital heart malformation.

The purpose of this study was to examine among young patients with congenital heart malformation (CHM) the concordance between a cardiologist's definition of the severity of malformation and recommendations regarding physical activity and the patients' perceptions of their condition. Subjects included male (n = 55) and female (n = 45) adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years who have trivial (38%), mild (21%), or moderate (41%) CHM. Thirty-one percent of the patients rated their CHM as less severe whereas 15% rated their CHM as more severe than the cardiologist's definition.

The world of the child: a world of play even in the hospital.

Play is an integral part of a child's life. Working with children in the hospital is based on the worldly view that claims that the patient is first and foremost a child. Investing in his mental well-being will assist him and his parents to better cope with his illness and hospitalization.