A brief description of the overall goals of the Project/program/equipment:
1.) Promoting the normalization of the healthcare environment for our pediatric patients and families.
Normalization is a core child life concept. In the typical hospital setting, normalization means normalizing the environment by creating a structure and familiarity in an unfamiliar and often scary place. Entertainment serves a wide range of uses and gratifications. When freely chosen, entertainment can produce desired states such as relaxation or arousal and can induce the range of human emotions that enrich daily life (Goldstein, 2017). The emotional and social satisfactions provided by entertainment are supplemented by their impact on executive functioning and health. Among the cognitive benefits of entertainment media are the maintenance or improvement of problem solving and enhanced perceptual skills. Listening to music or watching television can produce positive cognitive effects (Goldstein, 2017). One undeniable feature of entertainment play is fun. Positive emotions, including humor, contribute to a sense of well-being and health.
2.) Promoting pain-management and coping strategies through the use of distraction.
Engaging in thoughts or activities that distract attention from pain is one of the most commonly used and highly endorsed strategies for controlling pain. The process of distraction involves competition for attention between a highly salient sensation (pain) and consciously directed focus on some other information processing activity. Evidence-based research on part of the American Academy of Pediatrics has indicated that distraction strategies have been highly effective in reducing reported and observed pain and distress in children in inpatient, emergency department (ED), and clinic settings (Romito, Jewell, & Jackson., 2020). The emergence of virtual reality, Internet technology, and electronic and digital devices has been found to be an effective means of distraction in reducing pain (Romito, Jewell, & Jackson., 2020).
3.) Minimizing pediatric healthcare-induced anxiety and trauma.
Frequently, episodes of care such as preventive clinic visits, acute care, medical procedures, and hospitalization can be emotionally threatening and psychologically traumatizing for pediatric patients. Children are often subject to psychological trauma, demonstrated by anxiety, aggression, anger, and similar expressions of emotion, because they lack control of their environment. This sense of helplessness, coupled with fear and pain can cause children to feel powerless in healthcare settings. These emotional responses can delay important medical treatment, take more time to complete and can reduce patient satisfaction. We as healthcare professionals are uniquely positioned to prevent healthcare-induced trauma and reduce healthcare-induced anxiety. A large-scale study examining the effects of a UK primary care environment on patients and staff shows that an enhanced environment is associated with improvements in patients' perception of patient–doctor communication, reduction in anxiety, and increases in patient and staff satisfaction (Rice, Ingram, & Mizan, 2008)
4.) Operational description of the project as they pertain to the equipment/supplies requested.
Request includes x3 XBOX Series S/PlayStation 5 (Next Generation) gaming consoles, x6 XBOX/PlayStation controllers, and x5 (12 month) Xbox/PlayStation subscription cards. The request also includes x5 gaming carts that include the capacity for locking the gaming console and controller to the cart. The request also includes x5 Flat Screen HD TV’s to be mounted to the cart, including x5 HDMI Cables.
5.) What is presently being used in place of the equipment that is being requested?
Currently the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit has two XBOX gaming cart units in use. Both gaming carts are in bad condition, and do not possess the ability to lockdown or secure the gaming equipment. The Child Life Specialist has been using their own personal credit card to pay for the XBOX live subscription / games. Only one of the two XBOX’s are currently being used, as the 2nd XBOX cart uses a TV that does not have the capability to modulate volume. The PICU’s entertainment system is currently undergoing an extended renovation, leaving only one video channel available for patients to view. Many of the channels on the TV’s within patient rooms are blurry and often distorted by static and lag.
6.) How will this project/equipment benefit the department, hospital and/or children served?
The gaming cart initiative would offer multiple sources of digital entertainment, including a wide range of movies and television shows for all age ranges, music, gaming and educational material. The gaming cart initiative would be an upgrade to their current entertainment system, and would allow for a more accessible, personable, adjustable and user-friendly service for both patients, families and staff members. The gaming cart initiative would add a much-needed psychosocial resource to the current pediatric healthcare environment, which will help reduce anxiety, pain, and promote relaxation, normalization, comfort, and satisfaction for the pediatric patients and families during their hospital stay. The gaming cart initiative could also be used to benefit patients and families across the entire healthcare system, including NICU, Pediatric ED, and other various floors.
7.) What are the consequences if this project/program is not funded?
The consequences for not funding this program includes patient and family dissatisfaction, increased patient and family anxiety, reduced resources for non-pharmacological pain-management, reduced resources of pediatric coping with hospitalization, increased risk for maladjusted coping with unfamiliar healthcare environment. This project also affords staff the opportunity to engage with pediatric patients on a developmentally appropriate level.
8.) Maintenance plans for the equipment.
The Child Life department will maintain the integrity of the program, including being responsible for updating, cleaning, distributing, and operating the gaming cart initiative.
9.) Describe any additional funding sources for this project/program/equipment.
Due to financial limitations, streaming services such as Netflix, HULU, and HBO are unavailable for patient or family access. The Child Life Specialist has access to two Disney plus Subscriptions. Gaming subscription cards are used in order to give the user access to a variety of games and apps for ultimate customization of the game cart interface.
References:
Goldstein J.H. (2017) Applied Entertainment: Positive Uses of Entertainment Media. In: Nakatsu R., Rauterberg M., Ciancarini P. (eds) Handbook of Digital Games and Entertainment Technologies. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4560-50-4_9 Rice, G., Ingram, J., & Mizan, J. (2008). Enhancing a primary care environment: a case study of effects on patients and staff in a single general practice.
The British journal of general practice: the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 58(552), 465–470. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp08X319422
Romito, B., Jewell, J., & Jackson, M. (2020). Child life services. Pediatrics, 147(1). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-040261
