Child life therapists (CLT) use play and education to empower children and reduce their stress and anxiety in hospital. There is growing research on their effect on patient care; however, experiences of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) who work alongside them have not been explored. To explore the MDT’s perceptions on the role and impact of CLT in a children’s emergency department (CED), during routine procedures such as cannulation, sedation and laceration repair. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted using in person semi-structured interviews with 12 participants recruited through convenience sampling. Interviews were audio-recorded and manually transcribed verbatim, then subjected to inductive coding, primarily descriptive, and grouped into themes to identify patterns. Four key themes arose: (1) positive impact on family and wellbeing; (2) operational excellence and workflow enhancement; (3) professional impact and practice evolution; and (4) service demand and implementation challenges. Code frequency indicated that anxiety reduction, positive impact, resource availability, and improved workflow were the most prominent aspects identified. Introduction of CLT had a positive perceived impact on the MDT, contributing to enhanced patient-centred care. Findings reflected strong support for CLT integration within teams and recognised practical implementation considerations to inform future adoption in other departments.
Al-Shamaa et al. (Sun,) studied this question.
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