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Play interventions for paediatric patients in hospital: a scoping review
Line Klingen Gjærde1, Jane Hybschmann2, Daniel Dybdal2
1Children's Hospital Copenhagen and Juliane Marie Centre, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark line.klingen.gjaerde.01@regionh.dk.
Insights
Hospital play interventions are a safe and effective way to help children manage illness and hospitalization. Research shows these interventions reduce pain, stress, and anxiety in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric healthcare research
- Child psychology
- Hospital-based interventions
Background:
- Play is a recognized, non-invasive method for supporting pediatric patients and families during hospitalization.
- Despite its long history in hospitals, empirical research on the efficacy of play interventions remains limited.
- This review addresses the scarcity of research by synthesizing existing literature on hospital play interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To categorize and synthesize the research on hospital play interventions over the past two decades.
- To identify the roles and contexts of play interventions in pediatric healthcare settings.
- To provide a foundation for future research and clinical integration of play.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive scoping review of peer-reviewed articles published between January 2000 and September 2020.
- Systematic searches were conducted across multiple databases (PubMed, CINAHL, CENTRAL, ERIC, PsycINFO).
- Data from 297 included articles were thematically synthesized and descriptively analyzed.
Main Results:
- Play interventions are utilized across all pediatric age groups (0-18 years) in non-psychiatric settings by various healthcare professionals.
- Key contexts for play interventions include procedures, patient education, treatment/recovery, and adaptation to the hospital environment.
- Reported benefits consistently include reductions in pain, stress, and anxiety for pediatric patients.
Conclusions:
- Hospital play interventions represent an emerging, interdisciplinary field with substantial potential for improving child and family well-being.
- Further research is needed to establish clear principles for effective play implementation in hospitals.
- High-quality studies are required to determine optimal strategies for integrating play interventions into pediatric care pathways.
Objective:
Play is a non-invasive, safe and inexpensive intervention that can help paediatric patients and their families manage difficult aspects of being ill or hospitalised. Although play has existed in hospitals for decades, research on hospital play interventions is scarce. This review aimed to categorise and synthesise the last 20 years of research on hospital play interventions.
Design:
Scoping review.
Data Sources:
PubMed, CINAHL, CENTRAL, ERIC and PsycINFO (1 January 2000- 9 September 2020).
Study Selection And Data Extraction:
We systematically searched for original peer-reviewed articles, written in English, on hospital play interventions in paediatric patients (0-18 years) in non-psychiatric settings. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts, reviewed full text of relevant articles and extracted data. We thematically synthesised the data from the included studies, and a descriptive analysis, based on a developed framework, is presented.
Results:
Of the 297 included articles, 78% came from high-income countries and 56% were published within the last 5 years. Play interventions were carried out across all ages by various healthcare professionals. Play interventions served different roles within four clinical contexts: A) procedures and diagnostic tests, B) patient education, C) treatment and recovery and D) adaptation. Across these contexts, play interventions were generally facilitated and purpose-oriented and had positive reported effects on pain, stress, and anxiety.
Conclusions:
Play in hospitals is an emerging interdisciplinary research area with a significant potential benefit for child and family health. Future research should further describe principles for play in hospitals. High-quality studies investigating short-term and long-term effects are needed to guide when and how to best integrate play in hospitals.
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