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The effect of play on immobilized children in hospital
1Department of Nursing, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Novia Scotia, Canada.
Insights
Planned play significantly improves hospitalized children's well-being. Children receiving organized play reported better self-perception and social connections, countering negative effects of immobilization.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nursing
- Child Psychology
- Hospitalized Patient Care
Background:
- Organized play is often undervalued in pediatric hospital care plans.
- Immobilized hospitalized children experience negative impacts on their well-being.
- Limited research exists on play's effect on hospitalized children's perception.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of planned play on immobilized hospitalized children's perception of time, social space, and self.
- To compare the experiences of children receiving planned play versus standard hospital stimuli.
- To determine if structured play interventions can mitigate negative psychological effects of hospitalization.
Main Methods:
- An experimental design involving 60 immobilized children randomly assigned to a control or experimental group.
- The experimental group participated in four planned play sessions designed to broaden their life space.
- Data collected through interviews and analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods.
Main Results:
- Children exposed to planned play showed more positive feelings toward themselves and others.
- The control group experienced time distortion and loss of temporal integrity.
- Planned play positively influenced self-perception and social interactions in immobilized children.
Conclusions:
- Planned play is a crucial component of care for immobilized hospitalized children.
- Structured play interventions can enhance psychological well-being and improve temporal perception.
- Addressing play needs is essential for comprehensive pediatric patient care.
Abstract:
Organized play is not always given a high priority in the hospitalized child's total care with the result that insufficient time is allocated to its provision in the nursing care plan. The effects of such incomplete patient care are far reaching for the immobilized child in hospital. The study was designed to determine if a difference existed in the perception of time, social space and self for two groups of immobilized children in hospital. An experimental design was used. Sixty immobilized children were randomly assigned to the experimental or control group. Children in the control group were exposed to the regular ward stimuli while the experimental group participated in four periods of planned play designed to expand the child's life space. Children were interviewed following the play periods and data analysed using quantitative and qualitative analysis. Findings indicate that immobilized children exposed to planned play periods expressed more positive feelings toward themselves and significant others than the control group. As well, findings indicated that hospitalized immobilized children were in a state of waiting and increased vigilance which resulted in the dragging of time and loss of temporal integrity.
