On the inclusive environment of hospital schools and the medico-social foundations of hospital pedagogy

Context and relevance. The article reviews the experience of building an inclusive educational environment for children in need of long-term treatment in medical organizations of the Russian Federation. From 2011 to the present, the number of children with medical needs undergoing long-term treatment in medical organizations has been rising and has reached 6 million long-term pediatric hospitalizations per year. Establishing a nationwide educational system for the group of children under consideration is of decisive importance for their continuous development. Objective. To present the development and implementation stages of the authors' nationwide hospital school model between 2011 and 2025, along with the challenges addressed and the subsequent results. Hypothesis. The development and implementation of a hospital school model in the Russian Federation for children requiring long-term inpatient medical care will ensure the realization of their constitutional right to accessible, high-quality education, while maintaining continuity in their psychological and social development during long-term treatment. Methods and materials. A structural analysis was conducted of the implementation in the Russian Federation, from 2011 to 2025, of the project to develop, establish, and implement a nationwide hospital school model across various institutional settings (the “UchimZnaem” Russian Hospital Schools Project; key figures: 72 hospital schools, 72 medical organizations of various profiles, and 30000 children receiving education in these organizations annually). Results. Despite the complexities of interagency cooperation, structural differences between medical and educational organizations, varying profiles of long-term pediatric treatment, and challenges in training specialized pedagogical and other personnel, the hospital school model implemented in the Russian educational system between 2011 and 2025 has created qualitatively new conditions for the continuous education and development of children and adolescents during long-term treatment. Conclusions. Highlighting the issues and challenges of educating children under long-term medical care forms a foundation for distinguishing hospital pedagogy as a distinct branch within general pedagogy. It also facilitates the study of the medico-social foundations of hospital pedagogy in the context of inclusive education, the synthesis of Russian and international experience, and further interdisciplinary research on this topic.

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