Integration of Early Child Development and Care for Hospitalized Small and Sick Children: A Holistic Approach to Pediatric Health

Background: For children aged 0-5 years, hospitalization is a very stressful experience. Even, the older children are quite tense during hospitalization for a serious illness, and want their parents to be available there. Play is a key aspect for any developing child which helps in promoting the child’s growth and development. Toys are the ‘tools’ of play and age-appropriate toys can be helpful for reducing the trauma and stressful feelings during hospitalization. Appropriate use of toys and play therapy will aid in enhancing the recovery from the illness. Play therapy can be included in the care and treatment plan of hospitalized children. This review aimed to assess the available evidences in literature regarding effectiveness of Play therapy for harnessing development in hospitalized children. Methods: A search was made in PubMed using keywords “play therapy”[Title/Abstract] AND “Hospitalization”[Title/Abstract]; “Child Development”[Title/Abstract] AND “Play Sessions”[Title/ Abstract]; “Play”[Title/Abstract] AND “Hospitalization”[Title/Abstract]; “Play Therapy” AND “Child Development”[Title/Abstract]; “Therapeutic Play Session”[Title/Abstract], “Effectiveness” AND “Play Therapy”[Title/Abstract]; “play therapy”[MeSH Terms] AND “child development”[MeSH Terms]. Studies over the last 10 years were explored. Results: A total of 125 published articles were obtained. After screening and applying inclusion/exclusion criteria, a total of 31 studies were shortlisted and imported to Zotero for further analysis. Most of the studies have established the effectiveness of Play Therapy in hospital settings in promoting the cognitive, behavioral, and socioemotional development and in reducing the hospitalization-related anxiety. Conclusions: A dedicated play session can be incorporated into the healthcare management protocols for pediatric inpatient settings.