Disease and hospitalization can be the first crisis that a child encounters. Hospitalization is admittance to the hospital as a patient. Patients are admitted to the hospital for a variety of reasons, including scheduled tests, procedures, or surgery; emergency medical treatment; administration of medication; or to stabilize or monitor an existing condition. This chapter covers the need for hospitalization, modern concepts of hospitalization, effects of hospitalization on child and family, manifestation of separation anxiety in young children, manifestation of loss of control, manifestation of bodily injury and pain, preparation of the child for hospitalization, nursing care of the child who is hospitalized, and nursing management of a child in the hospital.