RE: RE: Dissertation on hospital play
by: hatthar - 03-03-08 10:58
I agree that visiting a hospital where you can see hospital play put into action by qualified hospital play specialists, and discuss the feelings of children parents and nurses in relation to this therapeutic play provision, is by far the best way to gain a clear understanding of this area and profession.
However it would be really beneficial if someone researching this area were to visit more than one hospital. This is because many different hospital Trusts put varying levels of importance and money into their hospital play services. In the same way as it would not be a good idea to visit one children's nursery and make a decision about children's day care.
Some NHS Trusts still do not employ qualified play specialists to provide this very specialised therapeutic play, even though NHS documents says they should. How many child care professionals, without hospital play specialist training would know how to properly explain to a child, their new diagnosis of cancer, and answer the question "am I going to die?"
It is also helpful to take into account in any research project or assignment into this area, that qualified hospital play specialists are also commonly employed in children's hospices; and as more children's healthcare is now provided in the community, there are community play specialists employed along side children's community nursing teams.
This profession is also an international one, with many countries employing play specialists in their hospitals such as Sweden, New Zealand, Kuwait, Australia. While other countries, such as USA, Canada, Holland employ very simular professionals called Childlife Specialists. This is quite a complex area and profession.
Harriet