ArticlePloS one2024
Application of clown care in hospitalized children: A scoping review.
Article in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
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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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Medical clown intervention shortens length of hospitalization in children with pneumonia.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Child-centred care in practice: strengthening the right to play in public hospitals in Chile.Frontiers in health services · 2026Article
- Achieving surprise and play in unexpected places: clowns as artistic resources in oncology and palliative care.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Efficacy comparison of clown care therapy versus virtual reality distraction on venipuncture-induced anxiety in preschool children: a retrospective cohort study.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Virtual Reality for Reducing Anxiety in Pediatric Endoscopy.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Disrupted Life Meaning: Humanistic Psychology and Autoethnographic Analysis of Hospital Clown Interventions with an Adolescent with Cancer.Clinical medicine insights. Pediatrics · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThis study aims to provide healthcare providers with insights into relevant interventions by examining the timing, format, content, outcome measures, and effects of clown care interventions on hospitalized children.
methodsThis study utilized a scoping review methodology based on the framework by Arksey and O'Malley. The search for Chinese and English literature on the utilization of clown care for hospitalized children was conducted in databases including CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, China Biology Medicine Database, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library. At the same time, the references and other grey literatures included in the paper were also manually searched. covering publications from inception to December 10, 2023. Screening of the literature was done based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, with data extraction and synthesis carried out independently by two researchers.
resultsOut of 1084 articles screened, 18 were included. Clown care can be used with children who have burns, perioperative care, fracture rehabilitation, autism, puncture therapy, chemotherapy, respiratory pathologies and disabled children, according to a review of the literature. Clown care is feasible and available for these kids, and it has been shown to have favorable impacts. The main interventions used in clown care are guided imagery, cognitive coping, emotional reflection, distraction, and empowerment. Physical(reduced children's pain levels), psychological(reduced anxiety, improved coping skills, quicker recovery), cognitive-behavioral(for example, the number of meaningful words that children with autism say in 10 minutes.), and other indications are the several types of clown care outcome indicators.
conclusionsClown care can lessen a hospitalized child's pain, alleviate their worry, and divert their focus from illness and suffering. However, not all pediatric patients benefit from clown care. Every youngster is an independent individual with unique personality traits, and some may experience intense pain along with a terror of the clown role. Future research should concentrate on understanding the characteristics of hospitalized children to develop tailored clown care programs that can enhance clinical effectiveness. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/B4KMV.
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