Why preparation is so important…

“At worst, bad experiences can permanently affect a child’s psychological development and will have a profound impact on their attitudes and interaction with future health services as children and as they grow into adults…”

“When a child is admitted to hospital for surgery this is an anxious time for the whole family. Illness and admission to hospital can cause stress for the parents and this can alter the child and family’s ability to cope.”

“Meeting the Needs of Children and Young People Undergoing Surgery through the eyes of children, young people and carers”

“…we should have an acceptance that hospitals (and other healthcare settings) are an abnormal and strange environment within which children find themselves and where they therefore need assistance to understand and cope with all that they encounter while they are there.”

“The experience of a period of ill health or hospitalization can have an effect upon many areas of their development or wellbeing.”

“Healthcare settings, and hospitals in particular, are unfamiliar environments for the majority of children. They are frequently places where children experience new people, and strange or unpleasant sights, smells, noises and additional stressors that can be difficult to understand and can be traumatic.”

“spending a period of time in hospital … has the potential to interrupt or even harm a child’s normal development.”

“It is important to recognize and anticipate the effects of hospitalization on infants, children and young people and respond to these as effectively as possible. The importance of such provision should be recognized as critical for sick children…(it) can bridge the gap between maintaining the emotional wellbeing and normal development of the child and the potentially harmful effects of the hospital environment and experience.”

“Play for Sick Children – Play Specialists in Hospitals and Beyond” – Catherine Hubbuck 2009