July 28th, 2008

Children facing surgery and other daunting medical procedures at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia can now participate in “medical play” or “structured play” therapy, in which they act out the procedures on dolls beforehand in order to reduce stress they feel before and after the procedure.

Reports the Philadelphia Inquirer:

“Kids make puppets out of tongue depressors. They play a version of bingo in which O stands for nurses and N is for X-ray. They put bandages on dolls and wear sterile “bunny suits” before an operation, just like the surgeons do. A 1998 study of 100 hospitalized preschoolers found that blood pressure and pulse rates were lower in children who participated in individualized puppet shows about their coming surgeries. The mothers also reported that those children had less anxiety after surgery than the control group.

In the short term, specialists say that working with a petrified child before a minor procedure can help avoid sedation.

For kids who are hospitalized over long periods, guided play can promote natural growth and development, and make their world a little more normal.”

For more on this innovative therapy, check out the full article.