Managing Children's Stress Levels During Medical Appointments: 5 Handy Tips
Kristen Bishop, a certified child life specialist at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, offers practical tips for creating a positive healthcare experience for children.
Bishop, who has worked extensively with hospitalized children, emphasizes the importance of simplifying medical language and making it accessible to children. She suggests explaining medical procedures in concrete, basic terms and discussing the healthcare experience step by step, including sensory details.
One of the key strategies is to prepare children by explaining what to expect in clear, age-appropriate ways. Parents should arm themselves with as much information about the visit as possible to anticipate a child's needs. This preparation can help reduce stress and anxiety for young patients.
Bishop also advises using a matter-of-fact tone during health care discussions to avoid contagious anxiety. She recommends connecting all the dots in the explanation to avoid confusion.
To reduce anxiety, Bishop suggests offering coping strategies like pain relief, distraction, or sensory devices. She encourages families to develop coping tools that build children's confidence during visits.
Moreover, Bishop advises against using harmful or unsustainable rewards or threats to encourage children to cooperate with medical procedures. Instead, she recommends finding rewards that are realistic and fit into your family's lifestyle.
Bishop also emphasizes the importance of building a good relationship with healthcare providers. Establishing this relationship can have lifelong benefits, leading to better health and early detection of ailments.
She also advises against surprising children with a doctor's visit. It's best to inform them in advance, as it helps build trust.
At Mary Bridge Children's Hospital, they aim to be seen as people who genuinely care about children and want them to be healthy. To this end, they encourage parents to bring an activity or book to keep a child occupied during a health care appointment wait.
Bishop concludes by suggesting that the goal is to make children comfortable with going to the doctor's office, so they don't fear it as adults. By following these tips, parents can help their children have a positive healthcare experience.
- Kristen Bishop, a child life specialist, encourages parents to explain medical procedures and healthcare in basic, concrete terms to help kids understand, reducing anxiety and fear.
- At home, families can develop coping tools for healthcare appointments, such as using pain relief, distractions, or sensory devices to build children's confidence.
- Bishop stresses that it's crucial to build a good relationship with healthcare providers, which can provide long-term benefits for children's health and early detection of ailments.
- Taking the time to prepare children for appointments by informing them in advance and arming themselves with age-appropriate information can help reduce stress and anxiety during visits.
- By explaining expectations, maintaining a matter-of-fact tone, and prioritizing mental health, parents can help their children have a positive healthcare experience, fostering comfort with doctor's visits and preventing fear as adults.
