Prescribing Joy: Child Life Makes a Difference

Creating a Soothing Environment with Sensory Carts Helps Reduce Patients’ Fears During Medical Procedures

On a special cart at Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada, a collection of items awaits, ready to help soothe the senses and ease the mind of a worried child.

The primary role of a child life specialist is to reduce the stress and anxiety of hospitalization for patients. Whether a patient is coming to the hospital for a one-time surgery or has a chronic condition that requires them to visit longer or more frequently, child life specialists must engage with children as early as possible to have the best outcome.

Child life specialists are integral to many interdisciplinary care teams at Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada. These include the osteogenesis imperfecta team, metabolic clinic, Aredia Treatment Clinic and many other specialty clinics where patients undergo procedures that may cause anxiety. They also assist in the pre-operative clinic by allowing patients 2 to 5 years old to learn about their upcoming surgery. Patients can personalize a doll, dress it up like a doctor and learn about the surgery step-by-step. This helps them become familiar with what to expect when they come in for their procedure.

Child life specialists are present to help with pain coping skills or discomfort during procedures such as IV insertions, blood tests, dressing and cast changes, injections or any acute post-operative pain. For blood tests and IV insertions, the specialists use strategies such as breathwork or they deploy distraction tools to redirect the child’s attention. After surgery, patients sometimes experience pain, discomfort or anxiety that medication alone can’t relieve. This is where relaxation and guided imagery sessions come into play.