Authors (including presenting author) :
A Ma (1), K Lau (2), C Chong (2), P Kong (2)
Affiliation :
(1) Paediatric Nephrology Centre, Hong Kong Children's Hospital (2) Playright Children's play association
Introduction :
The Paediatric Nephrology unit at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) was the tertiary referral centre for children requiring dialysis and transplants in Hong Kong. Many nephrology patients had strong sense of belonging to the hospital and they enjoyed close bonding with the medical and nursing staff. In view of the translocation of service from PMH to Hong Kong Children's Hospital (HKCH) in September 2019, our team designed a special transition plan for the nephrology patients so as to support the patients during this transition period.
Objectives :
To provide practical information and psychological preparation for nephrology patients and their families in preparation of the translocation of the paediatric nephrology services. The hospital play specialists designed a series of activities and programmes for transition. This programme was tailor-made and involves patients, parents, health care professionals and hospital play specialists (HPS) in Nephrology Centre of PMH and HKCH.
Methodology :
The following items were included in the programme: 1. Orientation booklet Introductory booklet about Hong Kong Children Hospital (including map, floor plan of SOPC and Renal ward, funny games with stickers, interactive page for medical staff and patients, etc) One hundred copies of these booklets were distributed to patients upon their clinic visits since Dec 2018. 2. Play Action and Play Cart We offered children with opportunities to bless the new environment with happiness and good fortune. We encouraged the children to express their thoughts through arts & crafts and their artwork would be displayed in the new nephrology ward to remark the transition. The playcart, which was a creative project supported by Hong Kong Disneyland. It is a both a toy container and a toy in itself. Children were invited to submit their ideas and designs to the professional engineers and designers of Disney, who beautifully transformed them into reality in the form of toys and decors. Children and families enjoyed the process throughout the event. 3. Hospital Visit 26 families joint us for a friendly visit at HKCH before translocation and they appreciated the practical information on transportation, location and necessities around the new hospital. 4. Farewell event at PMH We organized a farewell party at PMH for the families on 23/8/2019. A total of 50 children and their parents joint the event and expressed their gratitude while bidding farewell to the PMH staff. It was a very memorable event for all of us. 5. Welcoming Party at HKCH 21 families attended the welcoming party at HKCH on 20/9/2019 to celebrate the transition at the new environment with their families and healthcare team in the HKCH. Children were encouraged to decorate the playroom with art and crafts that were created in Play Action Workshops. This, together with the arrival of playcart, highlighted the " dream come true " motive and concluded the programme herewith.
Result & Outcome :
With the excellent enrollment rates and overwhelmingly positive response, we were very much encouraged by the results and we would recommend similar collaborations to facilitate children's care in the future.
