Paging Dr. Play: Pediatric Medical Procedure Support at Easterseals

By: Katelyn Bentel, MSW, LSW

Medical-related appointments can elicit feelings of worry/anxiety, whether it is a routine wellness check-up, blood draw, or a surgery requiring a hospital admission. As an adult, we can understand how the benefits of going through these medical encounters can outweigh the discomfort of the anticipatory anxiety.

However, a child developmentally is not as able to rationalize the need or benefit of undergoing these medical experiences. The child also may not have the skill to work through their emotions regarding the procedure. The way children can strengthen these developmentally appropriate, social-emotional skills is through play.

Philosopher, Jean Jaques Rosseau stated, “Play is the universal language of childhood. It is through play that children understand each other and make sense of the world around them.”

Medical play is a great way to help a child prepare for an upcoming appointment or procedure; especially if there is a history of medical trauma, heightened emotions during medical-related appointments, and/or the caregiver anticipates that the child will experience emotional distress.  

By providing opportunities for children to play out upcoming events and gain exposure to equipment that is found in medical environments, they can begin to feel a sense of control and experience lower levels of anxiety. 

Medical Procedure Support Service at Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley

Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley now offers Medical Procedure Support services and recommendations led by a social worker to help ease a child’s worry, distress or discomfort.   

This program involves 4 sessions, consisting of: 

• Initial parent or caregiver evaluation with a social worker
• 2 pre-procedure support sessions with the child and their caregiver
• Post-procedure processing session with the child and their caregiver 

In the intake process or initial caregiver evaluation, we can discuss the best timing for your child and family. This service can also include support before dental appointments, vaccinations and other procedures that can cause anxiety for children and their caregiver.

What Does Medical Play Look Like? 

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• Creating art with medical equipment (e.g., Band-Aids, syringes, gauze/cotton balls, anesthesia masks, tongue depressors, medical gloves, pill bottles, etc.) 

• Role playing with dolls and medical kits (e.g., doctor & dentist)
• Reading developmentally appropriate books/social stories or watching videos about medical procedures
• Making diagrams/models (e.g., drawings, clay, etc.) of specific body parts

By playfully interacting with medical equipment, children can become desensitized to the objects—meaning that the equipment becomes less intimidating because it is familiar to the child and has been used in a non-threatening manner.  

Additionally, a child and caregiver/therapist can take on different roles in medical play to normalize various emotions and determine coping strategies that feel more supportive for that individual. We all have different preferences (e.g., deep breathing, distractions, being verbally walked through each step, physical touch, etc.)!

Utilizing Play During Medical Procedures

Medical play also allows for children to explore, identify, and practice coping strategies that can be utilized during appointments/procedures. For example, blowing bubbles through an anesthesia mask is a way to practice deep breathing.

If a child is scheduled for a blood draw, here are potential opportunities that can be implemented to give some control back to the child before, during, and/or after the blood draw: 

• Before: picking who will accompany them, which toy/fidget they will bring for support, etc.
• During: picking which arm (if possible), choosing if they want to look/watch, choosing if they want to be sitting on a caregiver’s lap, if they want their hand held, choosing if would they like a distraction (e.g., picture seek-and-find, video), etc.
• After: Getting to pick something enjoyable to do once the procedure is complete, such as going to the park, getting a special snack/treat, having a movie/game night at home, etc. 

Supporting Children’s Overall Health

Though the medical world can be intimidating and scary for children and adults at times, it is also a key factor for supporting overall health. Nobody wants to be sick or need medical intervention, but it is a part of life that can be out of our control.

Medical play is that opportunity for children to lessen their anxiety and ease the medical experiences to meet their health needs! If an anticipated, distressing medical appointment/procedure is approaching, it is time to page Dr. Play and “scrub in!”

Please note that we are not affiliated with a specific hospital system and encourage you to consult your doctor for education and guidance surrounding your child’s appointment.   

For more information, please contact, Director of Mental Health and Family Support, Brittany Wilkie, LCSW at 630.261.6272 or bwilkie@eastersealsdfvr.org. 

To schedule services, please contact Michele Tabachka at mtabachka@eastersealsdfvr.org or 630.282.2023.