The use of toys by nursing as a therapeutic resource in the care of hospitalized children.
Lia Leão Ciuffo, Tania Vignuda de Souza, Thais Mello de Freitas and 3 others
PMID 37042927WHAT IT FOUND
Nurses and technicians in a pediatric unit improvise toys for procedure preparation using dolls, videos, and everyday objects, but heavy workloads and missing supplies prevent routine use.
No standardized method exists, leaving implementation to individual discretion.
Key findings
01Seven of nineteen participants reported toys minimize sadness, aid recovery, facilitate interaction, reduce pain and discomfort, and help children accept procedures.
02Professionals improvise therapeutic toys using items found in the child's unit, such as dolls, procedure gloves, medical devices, books, cartoons, and videos.
03High work demand, deficits in material and human resources, and inappropriate environments interfere with the implementation of therapeutic toys.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was restricted to one public pediatric institution, which does not allow for generalization of results. The qualitative nature of the study captures perceptions and practices but does not measure patient outcomes or efficacy of the interventions. Participants were limited to those working in the specific unit for at least six months, potentially excluding perspectives of newer staff or those in private settings.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this study as evidence that therapeutic toys reduce clinical outcomes like pain scores or hospital stay length; it reports nurses' perceptions and barriers to use, not patient results.