Design for Children in Hospitals

Our contact

2006-05-02T03:53:00.000-07:00

Hello !

If you are interested in our project and need any extra information, you can contact us by e-mail:

Anu: aliukko@uiah.fi
Emilie: emilie_daillere@yahoo.fr
Laurence: laurence_micolon@yahoo.fr
Su: bsu@uiah.fi

Thank you!

What they do for sick Children now in China

2006-04-19T04:04:00.000-07:00

1. Let them familiar with the nurses and don’t afraid of nurse and hospital.
Change the environment of the hospital and the cloths of the nurses and doctor.

2. Tell them the truth.

3. Meet the requirement of emotion
Let them stay together with their parents as much as possible, make them feel safe.
Let them have toys or other staff they used everyday.
Keep in touch with their friends, teachers.
Reduce the restriction.

4. Reduce the pain.

Su

testimonies about children in hospital

2006-04-19T02:22:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I navigated on the Internet to find some information or testimonies from parents who have sick children/ children in hospital. You can find below a summary of my research.

I found some forum for parents in this case and the main ideas are:
- Not considerate the child as a sick children all the time
- To have confidence in his/her child
- Always explain to his child why he/she is in the hospital (simple word even if he/she doesn’t understand everything…. The tone of the voice is important…. To reassure his/her child)

I found also testimonies from associations that help sick children. In their opinion the most important is:
- To help the child to build some project
- To bring smile in the hospital (laugh and smile take part in the therapy to treat the disease).
- To bring activities/animations in the hospital
- Importance of new technology in hospital (computer, creation of channel for radio or television)

See u

Emilie

Interview with a nurse

2006-04-19T00:04:00.000-07:00

Hi again !

Here is the interview with a nurse that I got this week. Actually, she doesn t work in a hospital for children, but she has already spent months in such hospitals.

See you !

Laurence

Interview with a nurse

Typical day :
The same as adults’
Mornings : everything « important » : blood test if necessary, breakfast, washing, cares (depending on services / diseases)
Afternoon : nothing special concerning cares.
Parents can stay inside the hospitals 24 hours a day because some « flats » are made for them (in some hospitals)

Animations :
Special activities in afternoons :
classes with teachers from outside
rooms for children to draw, read, paint, etc. - in fact all the activities children can have at school
For young children : rooms with ball games, psychomotor games… like in a nursery
(Specialized staff takes care of all these activities)
Special animations for Christmas or Easter for instance : disguise, make-up, shows…
Associations go to rooms with costumes of characters that children find again each week. They do music, sing, play games.
During these games (role games), children express their sufferings, their fears

What to improve :
Much to do : parents’ flat (see above) not available everywhere
Especially for children suffering from leukaemia who cannot get out, and whose only activity is TV. Besides we try to avoid visits because child has to avoid skin contact with parents

Children’s needs :
For children suffering from leukaemia : feel alone, and it has repercussion onto their health
I think the presencee of parents and activities help healing (not only medecines)

Interview with a midwife

2006-04-18T23:51:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I got an interview with a midwife, who actually works in France. But she knows well how hospitals work, so I hope this will be useful for us!

See you!

Laurence

Interview with a midwife

Organization of services in hospitals :
The same as adults’
Different according to the type of the service
Sections are organized according to sicknesses (services for kidney, blood, heart, lung diseases, neonatal service, etc.)

Typical day :
Morning : care/treatment (breakfast, washing, visit doctor, visit nurses, talk with psychologist, care with physiotherapist, meeting with specialist doctors). Parents can participate and have lunch with their child : it is good because it gives children some marks, and it reassures him.
Afternoon : sometimes some cares, but more often it is leisure time. Game room with games given by the hospital, TV and video game room, DVD.

Animations :
Clowns regularly visit rooms to do shows, sing with children, do tricks, games with ballons (to inflate), make jokes, and so on. In some hospitals in Paris, they give laptops with an access to the Internet so that children can keep in touch with their family and friends, and with other hospitalized children, because some are not allowed to get out from their room (sterile rooms for leukaemic children). A person helps them to the use of their laptop.
Rooms are « cheered up » with colorful painted walls, walls with little characters from cartoons. We try to re-create the atmosphere of the child so that he feels the best possible at the hospital.
Hospital staff can also wear colorful overalls or with drawings.
Books for children : hospital library woman goes to rooms to propose books to children.
Rest room for children to meet together, to meet their parents, and to leave their room.
Sometimes, some courses are provided (like in real schools) to scolarize children.

What to improve :
Do not really know.
Improve the continuity of cares.
Always listen to children’s needs.
Fulfill children’s needs, explain to them their disease and treatment with simple words, even if generally they understand well.
Improve the management of children’s pain.
Collaborate well within the service and with parents.

Children’s needs :
Feel better at hospitals
Keep in touch with « outside world » with the Internet, classes, television…
Know their disease and treatment
Forget disease in living normal lives
Have good relations with staff
Be allowed to speak about their problems and fears

Initiatives alreday existing in France

2006-04-18T04:44:00.000-07:00

Hello!
I just put some initiatives that already exist in France, concerning children in hospitals. Here are only some examples, but it can help us to understand what is done yet, so that we try to be creative and invent something new...

The different initiatives that have been made:

- bring pedagogic material (computers, softwares, access to the Internet, an so on) for children in hospitals. Some hospitals provide some real classes as well, with a specialized teacher. Some guests can go to hospital too, for instance people who have travelled and explain to the children their "adventures"
(source: www.enfantsalhopital.org)
(Sorry all my sources are in french ! I ll find some other in english

- poem competitiom between children (the poems are invented by children themselves)

- collect clothes, toyz,etc. (www.hsf-lesoleilblanc.com)

- make children travel (www.chainedelespoir.org)

- have "adoptive families" whi take care of children for 4 - 6 weeks (www.chainedelespoir.org)

- realize children's wish, like meeting a celebrity, go to a concert, to the circus, have a trip on a helicopter... (www.unenfant-unreve.org)

See you!

Laurence

Summary of 12th April

2006-04-12T06:31:00.000-07:00

Needs of sick children

- Get something to do (avoid lonely)

- To be brave

- Want to treat important

- Being taking care of an adult

- Share emotion with others

- Need to be educated

- To be seen as normal children

- To accept others

- Personalized service (as a tool...)

- Release

- Need more space to get fresh

- Communication

Interview

- Nurse

- Children in hospital

- Children's parents

Questions of nurse

- Describe a typical day of one child in hospital.

- What do you do for them today?

- Are there some children usually refuse the medicine? If they did, in what situation?

- What are the ???

- Do children express their needs? or what they want to do?

- For you, what is the most important needs?

- How many hours do they stay alone every day?

- How is organized the hospital?

--> rooms

--> age of children

--> ???

- Is there some space for there parents?

- Basic rules of hospital/ routine

- Staff (How many are they?)

- If you can change something, what do you want to do?

Global Dignity

2006-04-12T05:33:00.000-07:00

Hello!
Here is the link to the "global dignity" website:
http://globaldignity.org/
See you!
Laurence

Enabling kids to control their hospital experience

2006-04-11T06:34:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

I found one page which I think it quite interesting for us.
Enabling kids to control their hospital experience

Su

Welcome!

2006-04-05T11:38:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody!

Now we have our own blog for our design project to improve sick children's live thanks to design.
We'll use this tool to share our ideas for the project.

See you!

Emilie and Laurence