Document Type

Research Paper

Date of Completion

Summer 7-24-2019

Department

Family & Consumer Sciences

Faculty Mentor

Brittany Blake

Abstract

Play is crucial for a child’s development, especially for children in restricted settings, such as hospitals. However, play in the hospital setting is frequently overlooked, often to the child’s detriment. A survey was distributed to child life specialists to obtain quantitative and qualitative data regarding their perceptions of the importance of play and how they implement it in the hospital setting. Eighty-three participants answered the survey. Eighty-two out of eighty-three are child life specialists. One participant was a student and seventy-nine were Certified Child Life Specialists. Responses revealed that all of the participants believed play is important in the hospital setting. On a ten-point rating scale, with one representing “not important at all” and ten representing “extremely important”, all the answers fell in the seven to ten range.

Play is crucial for a child’s development, especially for children in restricted settings, such as hospitals. However, play in the hospital setting is frequently overlooked, often to the child’s detriment. A survey was distributed to child life specialists to obtain quantitative and qualitative data regarding their perceptions of the importance of play and how they implement it in the hospital setting. Eighty-three participants answered the survey. Eighty-two out of eighty-three are child life specialists. One participant was a student and seventy-nine were Certified Child Life Specialists. Responses revealed that all of the participants believed play is important in the hospital setting. On a ten-point rating scale, with one representing “not important at all” and ten representing “extremely important”, all the answers fell in the seven to ten range.

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