Qol-37. The Creation of a Play Preparation Clinic for Children With Central Nervous System Tumours to Regain Control Once More

Targeted therapies are becoming more readily available for children with Central Nervous System (CNS) tumours, not only for early phase but also late phase trials. With this knowledge, we have created a play preparation clinic whereby all children with a CNS tumour diagnosis are invited to attend. Initially the play preparation clinic was solely a programme to train children to take tablets using a technique created at The Great North Children’s Hospital called ‘Kidzmeds’. On average children are successful in achieving the ‘Kidzmeds’ technique within ten minutes so we were able to expand the programme and incorporate two other areas of play preparation. Firstly, we have been able to include play preparation for children undergoing procedures without sedation or general anaesthesia such as MRI scans and lumbar punctures. Secondly, we have been able to use play preparation to teach children how to achieve cannulation or blood taking using a specific technique we have called the ‘GNCH way’. Our aim is that children leave our hospital having a positive experience and regain control and choice in how procedures take place, feeling they have ownership of their bodies. There is an added incentive of cost saving for our hospital, for example converting medication from liquid to tablet form. Forty-eight children have took part in the clinic so far. Every child has been able to achieve two of the play preparation techniques we offer and eighty-three percent of children have been successful in achieving all three. The youngest child in achieving all three play preparation techniques has been four years old. All forty-eight children continue to be successful in their achievements. Within our service, the feedback from children and families have been overwhelmingly positive and our hope is that other hospitals across the world can benefit from our experience.