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Effects of supervised play in a hospital waiting room
Insights
Supervised play in neurology clinic waiting rooms reduces child anxiety and adult irritability. This intervention improves patient experience and staff interaction for families during clinic visits.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Child Psychology
- Healthcare Environment Design
Background:
- Waiting room experiences can significantly impact pediatric patients and their caregivers.
- Anxiety and irritability are common in clinical settings, potentially affecting patient-provider interactions.
- The design and activities within clinical waiting areas are often overlooked factors in patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of supervised play on the behavior of children and adults in a neurology clinic waiting room.
- To assess whether structured activities can mitigate negative emotional states in a clinical environment.
- To evaluate the impact of play interventions on caregiver-staff interactions.
Main Methods:
- Observational study involving 30 children (ages 5-10) and their accompanying adults.
- Comparison of behavior during days with and without supervised play availability.
- Data collection focused on children's anxious behaviors and adults' irritability and staff interactions.
Main Results:
- Children exhibited significantly less anxious behavior when supervised play was offered.
- Accompanying adults reported less irritability and engaged more with clinic staff.
- The presence of a supervised play area positively influenced the overall waiting room atmosphere.
Conclusions:
- Supervised play is an effective intervention for reducing anxiety in pediatric neurology patients.
- Implementing play programs in waiting rooms can improve the experience for both children and adults.
- Environmental interventions like supervised play can enhance patient satisfaction and facilitate better communication within healthcare settings.
Abstract:
Thirty 5- to 10-year-old children and the adults accompanying them were observed in the waiting room of an outpatient neurology clinic. Half had appointments on days when supervised play was available to them in the waiting room. Results showed that children displayed less anxious behavior and the adults accompanying them were less irritable and spoke to the staff more when supervised play was available than when it was not.