How Can Play Or Entertainment Improve the Pediatric Patient Experience?
Imagine transforming a child's medical experience from daunting to delightful. This article uncovers seven inventive strategies pediatric professionals use to integrate play and entertainment into medical procedures. From turning exams into games to designing playful hospital environments, these insights offer a comprehensive look into making healthcare more child-friendly. Discover how these innovative approaches not only ease anxiety but also promote healing and engagement.
- Turn Exams Into Games
- Use Interactive Rehabilitation Exercises
- Ease Anxiety With Playful Interactions
- Offer Entertainment As Distraction
- Engage Children In Therapeutic Play
- Incorporate Interactive Technology
- Design Playful Hospital Environments
Turn Exams Into Games
As a pediatric neurologist, I frequently incorporate play and entertainment into patient encounters and procedures to connect with the children and achieve good outcomes. In the clinic, physical examinations can be scary situations for children, where we inspect, auscultate, palpate, and percuss them. Turning the examination into a game makes it palatable to pediatric patients and improves data collection.
For instance, when assessing the patient's mental status, asking them to name toys, talk about their favorite animals and movies, and draw pictures can be powerful measures. Testing cranial nerves can be achieved by having children track toys or a phone, stick their tongue out and say "ah," and make silly faces. Again, utilizing nonthreatening and entertaining techniques can result in an accurate assessment. Strength is tested by opposing muscle movements or rapid passive movement made into a game of "Show me your muscles or limp like a noodle." Sensation with light touch is assessed with mature children, but if young children do not understand this, a tuning fork, with its beautiful sound and vibratory sense, can be used. Lastly, coordination and gait are best watched with a parent-versus-child race in the hallway.
Other procedures, such as the lumbar puncture, can be attempted with a game of curling up like a roly-poly bug. Magnetic resonance imaging studies are successfully acquired in many cases with a game of "Wiggle and freeze" with the parent in the scanner helping their child through the game. Through creative play, the intimidating exam and other diagnostic assessments can be made lighthearted and fun for children and reduce the need for sedation or unnecessary tests in the case of a reassuring neurologic examination.
Use Interactive Rehabilitation Exercises
One way I've incorporated play into pediatric care is by using interactive games during rehabilitation exercises for younger patients. In my 30 years as a physiotherapist, I've found that engaging children through activities they enjoy significantly reduces their anxiety and helps them focus on their recovery. For example, when working with a young patient recovering from a knee injury, I integrated a simple obstacle course using soft cones and balance beams. Each exercise was framed as a game where the child had to "beat their previous score" or "collect points" by completing tasks. This not only made the session fun but also distracted the child from any discomfort, encouraging them to stay engaged and complete the exercises fully.
My background in musculoskeletal care and sports injuries was key in designing these activities to ensure they remained both therapeutic and enjoyable. Over the years, I've worked with athletes and dancers, where mental engagement is critical to physical performance, and I applied similar principles to pediatric care. The result was not only faster physical progress but a positive and memorable experience for the child, which made them look forward to future sessions rather than dreading them. This holistic approach is part of my broader philosophy at The Alignment Studio, where we aim to treat the person, not just the condition.
Ease Anxiety With Playful Interactions
Playful interactions such as games or storytelling can greatly ease a child's anxiety and build trust with the medical staff caring for them. These types of activities show children that hospital staff are friendly and approachable. As a result, children feel more at ease when undergoing procedures or treatments.
When a child trusts the medical staff, they are more likely to follow instructions and cooperate. Such trust can significantly improve the overall treatment experience. Encourage healthcare facilities to incorporate playful interactions in their pediatric care routines.
Offer Entertainment As Distraction
Offering entertainment in a hospital setting can serve as a wonderful distraction for young patients, helping them to forget about their discomfort or boredom. When children are engaged in watching a movie or playing video games, their minds are taken off their physical ailments. This diversion not only helps in passing time but can improve the child's mood and overall well-being.
Moreover, making the hospital environment more entertaining can lift the spirits of both patients and their families. Healthcare providers should integrate more entertainment options to benefit pediatric patients.
Engage Children In Therapeutic Play
Engaging children in therapeutic play activities is an effective way to help them express their emotions and develop coping skills. Through activities like art therapy or role-playing, children can verbalize their fears and anxieties in a safe space. Such play allows medical professionals to understand the child’s emotional state better and offer the right support.
It also helps children feel more in control of their situations, reducing feelings of helplessness. Medical institutions should prioritize therapeutic play to enhance emotional well-being for young patients.
Incorporate Interactive Technology
The use of interactive technology, such as virtual reality or educational apps, can make medical procedures less intimidating for children. When children are engrossed in interactive games or simulations, they can focus less on the medical procedure itself. This can reduce their stress and anxiety, making the procedure smoother and quicker.
Interactive technology also provides an engaging way for children to learn about their conditions and treatments. Encourage hospitals to adopt interactive technologies to make healthcare more child-friendly.
Design Playful Hospital Environments
Designing playful environments within hospitals can foster a sense of normalcy for pediatric patients and reduce hospital-related stress. Children who are surrounded by colorful decorations, toys, and fun activities are less likely to feel like they are in a sterile medical facility. These playful settings can make the hospital experience more familiar and less frightening, helping children to stay calm.
Creating a space that feels like a child’s usual environment can aid in quicker recovery and better mental health. Urge healthcare centers to develop more playful spaces to benefit young patients.