Krista Schemitsch ’24, Health Sciences, 22W
Figure: Legos are being utilized as a resource for medical procedure preparation with children.
Image Source: Pixabay
Going to the doctor can be a scary experience filled with uncertainty and apprehension, especially for a young child. Now, imagine that same child is also expected to lie still in a foreign, constricted cylinder as it continuously generates loud sounds. Every child who needs an MRI scan experiences this. Their uneasiness with doctors only worsens. To try to prepare children for entering an MRI machine and to lower their overall anxiety, LEGO has built an MRI replica to be used in preprocedural explanations. This MRI scanner model, imagined by LEGO worker Erik Ullerlund Staehr, is expected to be distributed amongst hospitals around the world. The model consists of two parts: an MRI scanner, able to open and demonstrate how real MRIs look and function, and a separate room, showing where the scan results from the MRI are read by doctors (Leow et. al., 2022).
Medical procedure preparation for children, like LEGO’s current innovation, is not a new development. Popularity in using educational materials for familiarization of healthcare techniques has risen over the last few decades. To confirm the effectiveness of pre-procedure materials, researchers Fernandes, Arriaga and Esteves at the University Institute of Lisbon conducted a study with 125 children, ranging from the ages of 8 to 12. In the study, children that were given educational materials, varying from board games to videos to booklets, showed a significant statistical decrease in their level of worry (Fernandes et. al., 2014). Another experimental study performed with 60 children, ages 3 to 8, displayed lower mean anxiety scores for both children and their mothers when the child was provided with nonspecific toys and the parents were provided with medical information (Ghabeli et. al., 2014).
The usage of LEGO sets to demonstrate medical procedures utilizes similar ideologies as the Teddy Bear Hospital (TBH) concept: a form of medical play where children’s stuffed animals assume the role of patients. The child watches their toy go through the steps of the procedure as a parent-like figure. This technique allows the child to become more informed about both the medical equipment being used and the sequence of events that the procedure is going to occur in. By providing information, TBH reduces fear and lowers anxiety. TBH models and the LEGO innovation both employ experiential learning, more commonly referred to as “learning by doing.” Experiential learning has been proven to both significantly improve the knowledge obtained from children regarding their healthcare and increase their comfortability in a new environment (Rashid et. al 2021).
When children lack accurate information, they may have a distorted understanding of their situation, especially in vulnerable medical contexts. To mitigate the uncertainty involved with medical procedures and diagnoses, doctors can work to communicate effectively and truthfully about procedures. So, when a child lies still in a foreign, constricted cylinder, they are not only aware that the loud noises are going to occur, but can understand why they are occurring. The implementation of standardized preprocedural education materials is a necessity for the future progression of pediatric treatment, and the support of LEGO through its MRI scanner model is a key start towards empowering pediatric patients.
References
Fernandes, S. C., Arriaga, P., & Esteves, F. (2014, October 27). Providing preoperative information for children undergoing surgery: A randomized study testing different types of educational material to reduce children’s preoperative worries. OUP Academic. Retrieved January 29, 2022, from https://academic.oup.com/her/article/29/6/1058/2804364
Ghabeli, F., Moheb, N., & Hosseini Nasab, S. D. (2014). Effect of Toys and Preoperative Visit on Reducing Children’s Anxiety and their Parents before Surgery and Satisfaction with the Treatment Process. Journal of caring sciences, 3(1), 21–28. https://doi.org/10.5681/jcs.2014.003
Lego to build building blocks – free photo on Pixabay. (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2022, from https://pixabay.com/photos/lego-to-build-building-blocks-toy-708089/
Leow, M. (2022, January 28). Lego donates MRI scanner kits to hospitals to comfort kids about the process. DesignTAXI.com. Retrieved January 29, 2022, from https://designtaxi.com/news/417537/LEGO-Donates-MRI-Scanner-Kits-To-Hospitals-To-Comfort-Kids-About-The-Process/
Rashid, A. A., Cheong, A. T., Hisham, R., Shamsuddin, N. H., & Roslan, D. (2021, January 1). Effectiveness of pretend medical play in improving children’s health outcomes and well-being: A systematic review. BMJ Open. Retrieved January 30, 2022, from https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/1/e041506