Playing With Medical Devices

Abstract

The project for presentation in this paper is a pilot study of (1) the use of a medical devices and instruments as toys in a role play where the procedure is played by the child as preparation for dental examination or treatment, and (2) the potential effect of this play. The objective of the pilot study was to investigate the following questions: Will children play with the Dental Chair Toy? Which age of children will play? How will they play? Is it fun? Can we measure an effect on the experience, behavior or readiness for treatment? The conclusions of the pilot study was that we could observe that 50% of children introduced to the experimental Dental Chair Toy actually engaged in play with the toy, that children were playing for approximately 10 minutes on average, and that the greatest interest in playing was shown by children age 2-10 years. We observed both realistic play reproducing procedures from the dentist and non-realistic play, and we saw children use their imagination to fill in gaps in realism. We also saw children engage in role play imitating the roles and division of labor between dentist and assistants. It was evident that the children engaging in play with the Dental Chair Toy were motivated and had fun, but we were not able to measure any effect from playing with the Dental Chair Toy on experience, behavior or readiness for treatment.