The effect of play on immobilized children in hospital.
Organized play is not always given a high priority in the hospitalized child's total care with the result that insufficient time is allocated to its provision in the nursing care plan. The effects of such incomplete patient care are far reaching for the immobilized child in hospital. The study was designed to determine if a difference existed in the perception of time, social space and self for two groups of immobilized children in hospital. An experimental design was used. Sixty immobilized children were randomly assigned to the experimental or control group. Children in the control group were exposed to the regular ward stimuli while the experimental group participated in four periods of planned play designed to expand the child's life space. Children were interviewed following the play periods and data analysed using quantitative and qualitative analysis. Findings indicate that immobilized children exposed to planned play periods expressed more positive feelings toward themselves and significant others than the control group. As well, findings indicated that hospitalized immobilized children were in a state of waiting and increased vigilance which resulted in the dragging of time and loss of temporal integrity.
Department of Nursing, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Novia Scotia, Canada.
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AJ
Gillis
D002648:Child; D002673:Child, Hospitalized / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007103:Immobilization; D008297:Male; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000379:methods; D010988:Play and Playthings; D011897:Random Allocation; D012649:Self Concept; D012938:Social Perception; D013998:Time Perception