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Ellyia Ballesteros

Mr. Wyatt Lay

English 11 B3

9 May 2022

The Effects of the Hospital Environment on Youth: Wishes 4 Kids

Introduction

With personal experiences from the hospital, it is obvious that many hospital settings

make children feel anxious and scared when encountering hospitalization and medical

professionals. That said, realizing the problems created tension with the youth between their

family and other health professions can set a common ground with what goes on inside the

facilities to help the children feel more welcomed.

Many organizations in the hospital such as the Child Life Department in Kapiolani

Medical Center help many keiki around the island by preserving childhood inside the hospital

setting by meeting their social and emotional needs through bedside and playroom activities. The

majority of what is being done in this facility is directed to those around the hospital to know

about what goes on in programs such as the child life department. So, the question is: how might

the hospital atmosphere assist the keiki in feeling better and more comfortable?

More research and participation in hospital settings could benefit and assist all involved

parties, including medical personnel, children, and families. While hospitals provide an excellent

foundation for children, they often feel anxious and alienated during their experiences, and there

is much more that can be done. Although, there are negative and positive effects the hospital has

on youth, understanding these findings may help support the children throughout their stay in the

hospital. Many individuals in the community should continue to encourage and guide the patients
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to decrease the effects of how they feel while in the hospital. With increased community care,

everyone should be able to participate in what is going on and be a part of the change.

The Problem

Overall, the hospital atmosphere has an impact on children's behavior, including

aggression, withdrawal, and loneliness. Prior to meeting with doctors and other medical

professionals, as well as experiencing a hospitalization, the ambiance of the hospital frequently

makes the youth feel uncomfortable. The mood is frequently described as "cold and medical,"

which connotes pain and chaos. This is where researchers step in to investigate the causes and

effects of youth hospitalization.

In a child’s perspective of a hospital environment, hospitalization exacerbates the

patients’ emotions, and increases feeling of anxiety. In an article written by Sara Nourmusavi

Nasab called Ideal physical features of environmental design in children’s hospital: Using

children’s perspective it states that “During hospitalization, children are faced with physical

disorders and many psychological challenges. One important factor affecting children is the

environmental design of the hospital” (Nourmusavi Nasab, 2020). Although children may

experience anxiety and other substandard emotions in the hospital, the environment around them

plays an important role in ensuring the children that they are safe where they are. The value of

play for young children who are being hospitalized has had much specific evidence that

therapeutic play using music, art, and storytelling has been shown to have positive effects on

psychosocial adjustment of hospitalized children. In this case, play is described as “the work of

children” and this is an essential activity for children that underlies good health and adaption to

changing environments from their home environment to a hospital environment. The value of
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play is to benefit children in the context of coping with “medical stressors as a tool to promote

child and family resilience, adaptive coping responses, quality of life, and child development”

(Franke, 2016). Much of this evidence helps us based on what has been studied and what has

been said to make the hospital environment a better place for the youth their selves and the

professionals.

Essentially, the higher the stress in the hospitalization environment, the higher the anxiety

of the child will appear, and this could lead onto further complications onto the stay of the child

and their family. This will change the child’s experience in the hospital and their ability to

handle what is given to them. According to common perception, children's priorities vary based

on their location and living situations in any society and environment, but with the help of the

doctors and other medical professionals helping the children, many hospitals were created in a

specific environment. In an article called Why Children’s Hospitals Are Unique and so Essential

created by Georges Casimir it is stated that “since children’s hospitals offer patients, and their

families a multidisciplinary alternative centered on the child, this can only provide the best

programs where the doctors are trained and motivated to obtain the best results” (Casimir, 2019).

Recognizing the issues that children confront while in the hospital will aid them in their overall

emotional and physical well-being.

Previous Effects

First off, it is important to recognize that many children’s hospitals are designed with

children in mind. This is the foundation that increases the patient’s safety because the hospital

environment is the foundation of observing the children throughout their healing processes.

Patients of all ages, but especially children, require care that is tailored to their specific
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requirements from beginning to end and includes their family members, such as their parents.

Children require extra time and attention, as well as close monitoring of their vital signs,

individualized medication, and particularly trained, sympathetic caregivers. So, how can design

and the architecture help health care?

Since my solutionary project is currently focused on the youth in all of health care, so for

example, let’s look at Shriners hospital and Kapiolani Medical Center. There are many children

in the hospitals every day that struggle with anxiety and depression because of doctors’

appointments, over-night hospital stays, and other factors that include staying in the medical

care. Most notably, being in the hospital with unfamiliar faces and an unfamiliar environment

can be stressful for children and their families. The Child Life Department at Kapiolani Medical

Center helps the children cope with their hospitalization and illnesses. This department is

important because they support the youth’s needs by engaging them in bedside and playroom

activities within the hospital settings. In an academic journal written called Psychological,

emotional, and physical experiences of hospitalized children written by Ami Rokach, it is stated

that “the experience of being hospitalized is usually an anxiety-provoking and even traumatic

experience, especially for children. Children are particularly prone to the adverse effects of being

ill, and their hospitalization is a stressful event with potential untoward consequences for

children and their families” (Rochack, 2018). This is an important concern because it proves an

important factor that hospitalized children are commonly confused, frightened, and in need of

support. These medical professors who work with children recognize the children’s values and

understand how they feel especially when they are in the hospital setting. By noticing and

acknowledging how the children feels in the setting is one way to comfort them when they are

distressed.
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There was this clinical study where current strategies have been made to reducing the

youth’s stress and anxiety. Distraction, a welcoming physical setting, child and parent

preparation, and pleasant staff interactions are among the strategies employed in the clinical

studies. This study appeals to the children’s and the child’s relatives as the audience who first

were able to read the methods used to understand the possible outcomes that may rise during and

after hospitalization of the child. In an article called Effective Environmental Factors for

Reducing Children’s Fear in Children’s Hospital: Using Parent’s Attitudes created by Sara

Nourmusavi Nasab, it is stated that “children’s hospitals acknowledge that they must provide

support for the whole family. Since the mental state of children in the hospital is very important,

identifying the elements of the children’s hospital environment that led to stress reduction can be

an effective step in their recovery” (Nasab, 2020). This statement admits that the professionals in

the hospital know how children feel and it is their job to help them feel better physically,

emotionally, and spiritually.

The Solutions

As we continue to research about the effects of the hospital environment on youth, there

are many factors that effects youth in a positive way. It is important that children get the support

they need while in a place they do not feel comfortable in. As a result, continuing assistance for

the children in the hospital setting is encouraged. There are numerous pleasant distractions

associated with environmental elements that elicit a favorable mood and draw people's attention

and thoughts. In a research study conducted, it is classified that,

“How important is the existence of environmental factors, such as color, light, spatial

layout, green space, scale, and shape of the hospital? Seeing hospital setting of any size
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and form provides a frightening experience for each person. Factors such as color and

light can affect people’s perceptions and responses to the environment in which they are

present. These factors are important in the treatment environment and the patient’s

recovery process. (Nasab, 2022).

This is such a great example that the hospital environment plays a huge role in making the youth

feel a lot more comfortable. Light influences the performance in healthcare settings by

decreasing anxiety among patients, reducing the duration of stay in hospitals, increasing sleep

and circadian rhythm, and alleviating pain through modulating the body's sleep patterns. This

study, along with other tests and studies, has demonstrated that short stays in the hospital provide

a variety of benefits, including increased patient satisfaction and lower healthcare costs.

For my solutionary project, my partner and I are mainly focused on toy donations for

children in the hospital. We had settled upon this idea because we both want to do something

somewhat in the hospital environment in the future and we feel as this would be a good time to

see the setting and the workplace of the hospital. Also, because we have both worked with

younger children, we believe this is our area of expertise in assisting younger children in living

the lives they deserve. Our main inspiration was from the Toys for Tots donation drive and the

Make a Wish Foundation. From these foundations, we learn that we could be able to help

children around our community with toy donations and surprise them on their birthday or a

succeeding goal in their life such as a treatment they exceeded.

My partner and I hope that our toy donations will show that there are people caring about

the kids outside of the hospital walls, and that we are here for them, hence our name, Wishes 4

Kids. Since covid-19 continues to have an impact in the hospital environment, this is our way of

reaching out to the children and staff in a safe manner. This enables us, the Maryknoll
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community, to show concern for our neighbors, such as Kapiolani Medical Center and Shriners

Hospital for Children.

Conclusion

An aspiration I have always had is working in a medical field-like setting. From doing

this educational project, I have learned that the effects of working with children has positive and

negative impacts, and it should be noted that one must be able to understand the situation many

of the youth goes through while staying and being in the hospital.

With all things considered, many children’s hospitals in Hawaii, and around the world try

to help and address these issues. Quick examples of this could be hands-on activities, playtime

with other children, quality time with family, and many other factors that will help the

hospitalized child get the support they need. This issue may be brought into light as many

children in the hospital face anxiety and stress with the environment of the hospital. Through

simple donations such as toys and cards, this could lessen the negative effects children have in

the environment and could eventually lessen effects medical professionals have also.

Although all this may seem like a lengthy process, many communities should be more

involved in what goes on with their keiki. With this project, we have gotten a lot of help from a

Child Life Specialist from Kapiolani Medical Center, and she is with us every step of the way in

helping us make the children feel comfortable and happy. From her words, “Do something that

makes you happy and that will contribute to the community!”

Casimir, Georges. “Why Children's Hospitals Are Unique and so Essential.” Frontiers in
Pediatrics, Frontiers Media S.A., 23 July 2019,
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6664869/.

“Child Life.” Hawaii Pacific Health | Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children,
https://www.hawaiipacifichealth.org/kapiolani/services/child-life/. 

Jamshidi, S., Parker, J. S., & Hashemi, S. (2019, November 15). The effects of environmental
factors on the patient outcomes in Hospital Environments: A review of literature. Frontiers
of Architectural Research. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095263519300779

Natalie A. Williams, Anis Ben Birk, Justin M. Petkus & Holly Clark (2019): Important of play
for young children facing illness and hospitalization: rationale, opportunities, and a case study
illustration, Early Child Development and Care, DOI: 10.1080/03004430.2019.1601088

Nourmusavi Nasab, S., Karimi Azeri, A.R. and Mirbazel, S. (2020), "Ideal physical features of

Rokach, A. (2018). Take a look at the recent articles. Psychological, emotional and physical
experiences of hospitalized children. Retrieved April 15, 2022, from
https://www.oatext.com/Psychological-emotional-and-physical-experiences-of-
hospitalized-children.php