Family culture versus institutional hospital culture: a relation between two worlds*

Abstract

Objective: To understand the relation between family culture and hospital institutional culture. Method: Qualitative study, carried out in 2017, with relatives of children admitted to a Hospital in southern Brazil. The study included non-participant observation, to gain familiarity with the investigated cultural context; participant observation, to know the respondents’ experiences; and interviews. The data were coded and theoretical formulations and recommendations were made. Results: Fifteen family members participated. Hospitalization is a time of encounter and interaction between family culture and institutional culture. Conclusion: Hospital culture is presented as an instrument of family care and adaptation and flexibility of norms and routines to humanize cultural care.