Biography
Biography: Ms Jessie Smith
Abstract
Pediatric patients have the potential to undergo a lifetime of treatments and procedures that can cause an increase in fear, anxiety, and long-term implications of negative medical experiences. Certified Child Life Specialists are trained medical professionals who work as part of the multidisciplinary team who focus on the psychosocial needs of patients and families in the hospital setting. Child life specialists are experts in child development with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in psychology, child development, or related field. Child life specialists train in children’s hospitals by completing practicums and clinical internships and are board certified by the Association of Child Life Professionals. We provide patient and family centered care to support children and caregivers overcoming the challenges of healthcare, injury and illness. A policy statement by The American Academy of Pediatrics states that child life
services are essential to provide the highest possible quality of care in hospitals. It is also stated in the policy that child life must adapt and grow with the changes of health care delivery (2014). Despite these recommendations, child life services are often not
adequately provided for many pediatric patients during their healthcare journey. This can be due to staffing, funding, understanding of role and/or perceived importance of psychosocial support.
As services and treatment for pediatric patients continue to grow, so does the need for psychosocial support for pediatric patients and families. This presentation offers ways in which child life specialists identify and assess psychosocial needs across the healthcare spectrum. Child life specialists support pediatric patients and families in reducing fear and anxiety during medical care while minimizing negative emotional effects and increasing positive coping and mastery. Child life practices apply psychoanalytic, psychosocial, cognitive, behaviorist, and information processing child
development theories to be responsive to individual patient needs. Interventions provided by child life specialists include developmentally appropriate procedure preparation and support, nonpharmacological pain management, distraction and coping techniques, behavioral interventions, support groups, medical play, and therapeutic activities. Services provided for families include facilitating adjustments to the child’s healthcare experience, supporting family members in understanding the child’s response to treatment, providing sibling support, advocating for family centered care, providing resources to empower and educate families, and educating caregivers on their roles and strategies for coping during medical procedures. Child life services improve patient and parent satisfaction with their overall healthcare experience and promote patient engagement and cooperation.
This presentation aims to equip attendees with the awareness of pediatric patient vulnerabilities and the tools that child life specialists use to support patients, siblings, caregivers, and staff. Attendees will learn how to integrate child life services in patient and family-centered models of care. Child life specialists can utilize their medical training to support pediatric patients and provide staff with the tools and information to incorporate developmentally appropriate and psychosocially supportive interventions into their treatments and healthcare goals. “The reality of child life is that it drives value, assures quality and safety, creates personalization and even has the
potential to reduce cost” (2018).