Child Life Services in India: A Pilot Study

Paediatric patients face various emotional, physical, psychological and psychosocial problems when they are admitted to hospitals. The most common symptoms among these children are anxiety and fear, which can manifest as psychosomatic symptoms. These can cause an imbalance in the regulation of our body, leading to decreased chances of proper recovery. Child Life Services (CLS) within healthcare organisations aim to reduce this fear and other side effects and promote the well-being of the patients and their families. It is grounded in basic principles of psychology, childcare and health. This article highlights the origin of CLS and the problems that occur during the hospitalisation of paediatric patients. This helps establish the need for CLS in collectivistic countries like India. While hardly a few hospitals in India have these services, the implementation of these services nationwide has been discussed. The article focuses on the nature of these services in Aster Hospital, based in Bengaluru, Karnataka, where this support system was initiated as a Pilot project and is now running as an important part of Pediatrics. The tools, techniques, and systems of these services in the hospital have been described from the lens of a Child Life Intern undergoing training. The descriptives of the paediatric patients admitted from October to December and the type of interaction facilitated by the intern have been elaborately discussed. The article concludes with the need for research opportunities to help bridge the gap between the knowledge and implementation of CLS in India.