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Pediatric intensive care unit patients. Effects of play intervention on behavior
Insights
Child life play intervention in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) positively impacts patient behavior, but effects are temporary. Consistent play opportunities are crucial for sustained behavioral improvements in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Psychology
- Child Life Specialist Interventions
- Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Patient Care
Background:
- Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs) present unique challenges for child patients.
- Structured play is recognized as a potential therapeutic tool for hospitalized children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the behavioral effects of a child life play intervention in a PICU setting.
- To measure changes in patient affect and interaction with materials during and after play sessions.
Main Methods:
- A Preintervention-Intervention-Postintervention design was employed.
- Eleven pediatric patients (ages 2-13) participated.
- A 3-minute time sampling technique measured behaviors during a 20-minute play intervention.
Main Results:
- Significant positive changes in affect and interaction with materials were observed during the play intervention.
- These behavioral improvements diminished in the post-intervention period, returning near pre-intervention levels.
Conclusions:
- Play intervention can elicit short-lived positive behavioral changes in PICU patients.
- Sustained benefits necessitate consistent and ongoing play opportunities, impacting staffing needs.
Abstract:
The effects of a 20-min play intervention by a child life teacher on two observed behaviors were investigated in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) patients at the Johns Hopkins Hospital Children's Center. Eleven subjects, ranging in age from 2--13 years, were observed using a Preintervention--Intervention--Postintervention design with a 3-min time sampling technique to measure the change occurring when structured play activities were introduced into the PICU environment. Significant positive changes were noted between Preintervention and Intervention in (1) affect and (2) interaction with materials. In the Postintervention period, these behaviors fell close to Preintervention levels, suggesting that the positive changes were not maintained in the absence of the Intervention condition. The results indicate that while play intervention in the PICU environment can have beneficial effects on patient's behavior, the effects of such intervention are short-lived. These data hold important implications for the staffing requirements needed to provide opportunities for the positive behavior changes to occur.