By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: A Kid-Friendly Hospital: Promoting Child Life Services
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Health care > A Kid-Friendly Hospital: Promoting Child Life Services
eHealthHealth care

A Kid-Friendly Hospital: Promoting Child Life Services

Larry Alton
Larry Alton
Share
6 Min Read
A Kid-Friendly Hospital: Promoting Child Life Services
SHARE

 

Contents
  • From Blood Draws To Blood Cancer
  • Service And Support For Families
  • Family Care And Your Practice

Going to the hospital can be stressful for adults, but for children, it’s downright terrifying. They don’t feel well, they’re in an unfamiliar place, and people keep poking and prodding them and doing painful things. Even for kids who have frequent admissions, the whole situation is unpleasant and confusing.

One primary way that hospitals meet the needs of children and families is through the use of child life programs, which, according to Speak Now For Kids, are run by “specialists [who] work with kids to educate and prepare them for the various aspects of their medical treatment and help them through play and other activities to express their feelings.” In many ways, child life specialists are a cross between social workers, teachers, and nurses, and not only do they transform how children experience hospitalization, but they can also teach other medical specialists a great deal about how to help children cope with any kind of medical treatment.

From Blood Draws To Blood Cancer

Part of what makes child life a unique specialty within the medical ecosystem is the fact that, especially at larger children’s hospitals, specialists may guide children through a wide variety of medical experiences. For example, the same specialist might engage in medical play to prepare a child for a routine tonsillectomy, or they might spend months interacting with a single child who’s going through cancer treatments. And the process is very different.

More Read

Gazing into the Future for Social Media in Health Care
Taking Care of the Small Things Now Is Easier Than Ever
6 Supplements That Can Help Improve Your Health
5 Worst Cyber Attacks of 2017 So Far
Suffering from Addiction in the Top Position: How to Start Recovery

While a child having a single procedure for an acute condition might be frightened or upset, their lives will return to normal soon enough. For children with serious health problems, though, years of hospitalizations and painful interventions often mean that they understand the logistics of the hospital, but require emotional support. In these cases, child life specialists may provide a form of play therapy, do art, and teach coping skills that can help children reduce their stress and cope with traumatic health experiences.

Service And Support For Families

Of course, hospital stays aren’t just upsetting for children – they’re hard on the entire family. And though child life specialists are only focused on children, they make pediatric hospitalizations, which account for 17% of all hospital stays, easier for everyone. That’s why all healthcare providers should take cues from child life departments in handling pediatric care.

When a child has a simple procedure, such as getting a dental filling, doctors and parents spend time preparing the child. They might take them into the office in the days before the procedure and let the child sit in the chair and touch the tools. This helps familiarize the child with what to expect on the day of the procedure – and similar principles apply to child life. In many ways, child life fills in the gaps when parents don’t have the tools or expertise to help their children, and they build relationships in a way that a primary care physician might, when hospital-based specialists may not be able to do so.

Another way that child life specialists work with entire families is by supporting children whose parents are undergoing treatment for a serious health condition. If a parent is being treated for cancer or heart failure or another serious illness that results in frequent hospital stays, child life specialists can help young children understand the illness and treatment, reduce fear of the hospital environment, and provide similar play-based therapies that aid in emotional processing. They also work with the siblings of sick children.

Family Care And Your Practice

All children’s hospitals and many other hospitals have child life specialists, but it is still an emerging and lesser-known specialty. That’s doesn’t mean it’s optional, though. Rather, there are definite, evidence-based reasons to have child life specialists on staff.

The most important reason to employ child life specialists is that most doctors, even pediatricians, aren’t equipped with developmentally appropriate language or education; instead, they tend to speak directly to the parents. Child life specialists, on the other hand, are trained to understand children’s mental processes around health concerns and combine psychological support with education. And studies show that this kind of support helps children remain calm throughout treatment, leading to better physical and emotional healing.

Even teenagers, who are often asked to fully participate in their treatment as adults, can benefit from child life services – and healthcare professionals often overlook this fact. In particular, child life specialists can foster community among frequently hospitalized teens, encourage socialization, and ensure that their social and emotional development remains on track despite unusual circumstances.

The fact is, no matter who your primary patients are or what your facility specializes in, your practice can benefit from having child life specialists on staff. Even when children aren’t your primary patients, we need to center a new vision of whole family health.

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

Continuous Partial Attention

October 4, 2012

Beyond the Buzz: 20 Tried and Tested Ways to Promote Your Healthcare Blog

April 17, 2015
Health carePublic Health

The Trends In The Pharmaceutical Industry That Matter Most

August 21, 2019

Healthcare Providers Should Be the Driving Force of Mobile Health

April 26, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?