Therapeutic use of play in hospitals.

Play for most hospitalized children centers around self and stressful situations as perceived by the child and is restricted in terms of what the environment and physical limitations of the child present. Play can be a tool to understand and intervene with pediatric patients. Collaboration with nurses who are clinical specialists, early childhood educators, and others who have expert knowledge of children and play equipment is useful to plan purposeful play programs or play sessions for the special needs of hospitalized children. Such collaboration will insure that play will be carried out in a consistent growth-promoting manner. For some children, hospitalization is a challenging experience that promotes a sense of competence. For other children, hospitalization is an experience that results in a negative outcome. Nurses can use play to provide pediatric patients with emotional and cognitive growth-promoting activities which facilitate a more positive hospital experience and long-term outcome.