41 Engaging children during hospitalization using nurse-led therapeutic play sessions at pediatric inpatient Al Wakra hospital (AWH)– Al maha paediatric specialized care center (AMPSCC)

Background Since opening the Al Wakra Hospital (AWH) Pediatric Inpatient Unit in 2012, play therapy was unavailable to our patients aged 5 months to 14 years undergoing procedures or those hospitalized for a medical reason. The child may view this as traumatic, which can affect their emotional growth as they are taken out of their normal environment and family to deal with an unknown procedure, unpleasant treatments and other limitations.^{1 2} Negative behaviours and feelings like worry, anxiety, pain, and uncertainty may be experienced by the child while they are in the hospital.³ We aimed to increase the percentage of patient and family satisfaction from 60% to 90% and increase the parents’ response to the anxiety level assessment question from 30% to 100% by December 2023. This project was initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic, when patient visits were limited, leaving the children more stressed during their stay and uncooperative during any procedures.

Methods We set out to recognize the child’s needs with consideration of their preference, develop person-centred care for children and families to achieve better engagement and ensure a safe and enjoyable environment for hospitalized children to play through providing developmental age-appropriate activities. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Model of Improvement is aided by Plan/Do/Study/Act (PDSA) cycle methodology. Multiple strategies have been utilized, such as staff training for therapeutic play techniques, obtaining single use toys to avoid infection transmission, and obtaining parents’ and patients’ feedback.

Results The patients and family satisfaction were increased from 60% to 90%, which reveals how happy they are with our service (figure 1). The parents response to the anxiety level assessment question ‘Did you feel that therapeutic play reduced your child’s anxiety?’ was increased from 30% to 100% (figure 2).

Conclusion We should continue to utilize the nurse-led therapeutic play activities in all facilities providing paediatric population care.

References

1. Melita FM, Parson J. Play in therapy and the therapeutic powers of play. In: Parson JA, Dean BJ, Hadiprodjo NA (Eds) Integrating therapeutic play into nursing and allied health practice. Springer eBooks. 2022 Jan 1;17–30. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16938-0_2

2. Campbell AV. Caring: The human mode of being. Implications for nursing. International Journal of Nursing Studies. 1985 Jan;22(4):345. DOI:10.1016/0020-7489(85)90060-4

3. Dooley D. Therapeutic play and maintaining hope in the infant child. In: Parson JA, Dean BJ, Hadiprodjo NA (Eds) Integrating therapeutic play into nursing and allied health practice. 2022;77–89. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16938-0_2

Ethical Approval/IRB Statement Hamad Medical Corporation provided an exemption of IRB.

Disclosures and Acknowledgments We have no relationship or affiliation with any commercial organization. We acknowledge the paediatric division team for their commitment to improvement and patient engagement in the therapeutic play sessions and to the executive team for their support to facilitate the project implementation.