The Gift Of Positive Healthcare Experiences
As paediatric nurses, we see a wide variation of responses from children when they have to visit the hospital.
A hospital is often a foreign environment to our kids, as well as overstimulating and full of strangers. Taking that into account, it makes complete sense that hospitals can be a frightening environment for kiddies.
So, what can we do to help our children feel more comfortable when they may need health care intervention/assessments?
MEDICAL ROLE PLAY! 🩺
By introducing children to healthcare concepts in a fun and interactive way, you’re helping them build confidence, empathy and communication skills. We certainly see positive interactions with children who have been exposed to medical role play.
When a child comes into hospital, we need to complete thorough assessments, which can include measuring a blood pressure, using a stethoscope to listen to breathing and checking temperature. Though our experience, these tasks can be a lot more pleasant and less fearful for the child who has been exposed to these tasks through their own play.
Research has also backed this up, finding that pretend medical play has positive outcomes, with lower anxiety levels and improved healthcare knowledge^.
As paediatric nurses, we have to get creative to build trust with a child we have often just met and we often utilise children’s own soft toys, teddies or dolls. We demonstrate a certain task prior to doing so on the child, to build confidence and therefore comfort of the child.
Not only is medical role play increasing familiarity to medical environments, it is also encouraging imaginative play which we all love as parents.
This is certainly a present that lasts throughout many stages of development and gets the whole family involved, with the big bonus of increasing comfort and understanding for future healthcare experiences.
Keep an eye out for our toddler gift guide coming soon!
Another resource we love and want to share with the community are the Royal Children’s Hospital Be Positive videos.
A multitude of videos have been created specifically for children, covering a wide range of experiences and procedures children may need within the hospital setting, to increase understanding and comfort.
We have linked some of our top picks as great resources for kids viewing!
- A child's guide to hospital nursing observations
- A child's guide to the Emergency Department
- Here is a link for the Be Positive main page if you need to look up any specific procedures or hospital visits!
This blog is written by Shayna, a NICU/Emergency Nurse and Mum to her young daughter.
References:
^https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33472781/
#:~:text=Two%20studies%20found%20no%20change,levels%20and%20improve
d%20healthcare%20knowledge.
The quick thinking of Warrnambool parents Lucy and Pat Mahony saved their 18-month-old son Ollie from serious scars for life after he pulled a cup of coffee onto himself.
How do I check my baby’s temperature? 🤒 What is the best way to check a baby’s temperature? There are so many different types and brands of thermometers out there. What thermometer should I buy?
We're here to answer all your questions!
When our little loves are in pain, we want nothing more than to help them. This guide discusses common pain reliving medications that we can use to help alleviate their pain, as well as when and why we use them.