Understanding children's spatiality in cancer care environments: Untangling everyday practices around an IV-stand in a paediatric day-care ward.

Abstract

Since the turn of the 21st century we see a renewed interest in the impact of hospital environments on children's well-being. In this article, we study the spatiality of children affected by cancer, i.e., their encounters with the day-care ward they are situated in. First we elaborate on these encounters through Schatzki's practice theory and Gibson's theory of affordances. Then we clarify our thinking in a case study and turn as empirical focus to a 'thing', an intravenous-pump and stand (IV-stand). The data used are field notes and videos shot by two children in a day-care ward, tinged with examples from literature and coincidental encounters with the IV-stand. Through carefully untangling everyday practices around the IV-stand, we show their complexity and offer a more nuanced understanding of child-friendly environments.