ArticleBMJ open2021
Play interventions for paediatric patients in hospital: a scoping review.
Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 23 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Can Medical Clowns Prevent the Usage of Sedation During the Performance of EEG in Young Children
Effect on Healthcare Professionals' Self-efficacy of a 45-minute vs Three-hour Educational Intervention on Communication and Play in Paediatric Clinical Practice: A Randomised Controlled Trial Study Protocol
Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed.
- The beneficial effect of medical clowns on performance of EEG in young children: a randomized controlled study.European journal of pediatrics · 2022Trial
- Preparing Children for Hearing Examination in a Playful Way-Co-Creation and Evaluation of an App.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Towards a theory-informed framework of child-centred care in paediatric healthcare: a systematic scoping review.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Review
- Child-centred care in practice: strengthening the right to play in public hospitals in Chile.Frontiers in health services · 2026Article
- Effects of a nurse-led mindfulness-based intervention on stress and emotional well-being in hospitalized school-aged children: a mixed-methods quasi-experimental study.BMC pediatrics · 2025Article
- Article
- Digital play and rehabilitation for children and adolescents in hospitals, outpatient departments and rehabilitation centres: A scoping review.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicine · 2025Article
- Investigating Challenges in Implementing a Digital Play Intervention in a Complex Organization Across Pediatric Departments: Non-Randomized Controlled Feasibility Trial.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies · 2025Article
- Exploring Health Educational Interventions for Children With Congenital Heart Disease: Scoping Review.JMIR pediatrics and parenting · 2025Review
- Nursing technicians' perceptions about the use of play and playfulness in professional practices.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S P · 2025Article
- Children's right to play in Chilean hospitals: A forgotten right?-A qualitative study protocol.PloS one · 2025Article
- Fostering the psychological wellbeing of children diagnosed with cancer: multidisciplinary insights in pediatric oncology.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Changing bodies: A scoping review and thematic analysis of family experience during serious childhood illness.Journal of child health care : for professionals working with children in the hospital and community · 2024Article
- Psychological Impact of Presymptomatic X-Linked ALD Diagnosis and Surveillance: A Small Qualitative Study of Patient and Parent Experiences.International journal of neonatal screening · 2024Article
- Child-Centered Care: A Qualitative Study Exploring Pediatric Hospitalization Through Children's Perspectives.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2024Article
- Establishing consensus on principles and competencies for the use of play in clinical practice in hospitals: An international Delphi study.European journal of pediatrics · 2024Article
- Pediatric Care Volunteerism: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic.Journal of patient experience · 2024Article
- Assessing child satisfaction and expectations for developing a child-friendly environment at the pediatric department in a general hospital in Qatar.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2024Article
- Supporting paediatric patients to receive radiation therapy without sedation or general anaesthetic.Journal of medical radiation sciences · 2023Article
- Children's understanding and consent to heart surgery: Multidisciplinary teamwork and moral experiences.Journal of child health care : for professionals working with children in the hospital and community · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivePlay is a non-invasive, safe and inexpensive intervention that can help paediatric patients and their families manage difficult aspects of being ill or hospitalised. Although play has existed in hospitals for decades, research on hospital play interventions is scarce. This review aimed to categorise and synthesise the last 20 years of research on hospital play interventions.
designScoping review. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, CINAHL, CENTRAL, ERIC and PsycINFO (1 January 2000- 9 September 2020). STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: We systematically searched for original peer-reviewed articles, written in English, on hospital play interventions in paediatric patients (0-18 years) in non-psychiatric settings. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts, reviewed full text of relevant articles and extracted data. We thematically synthesised the data from the included studies, and a descriptive analysis, based on a developed framework, is presented.
resultsOf the 297 included articles, 78% came from high-income countries and 56% were published within the last 5 years. Play interventions were carried out across all ages by various healthcare professionals. Play interventions served different roles within four clinical contexts: A) procedures and diagnostic tests, B) patient education, C) treatment and recovery and D) adaptation. Across these contexts, play interventions were generally facilitated and purpose-oriented and had positive reported effects on pain, stress, and anxiety.
conclusionsPlay in hospitals is an emerging interdisciplinary research area with a significant potential benefit for child and family health. Future research should further describe principles for play in hospitals. High-quality studies investigating short-term and long-term effects are needed to guide when and how to best integrate play in hospitals.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.