What Impact Can Access to a Tablet Have on a Child’s Recovery?

Implemented properly, the mobile tool can benefit young patients as much as their families and clinicians. A hospital stay can be stressful for anyone, but especially for a child who has experienced trauma. It’s one of the reasons why healthcare providers are turning to tablets to help children cope and stay entertained during the recovery process.

“Research shows that the quality of stay for patients and their potential medical recovery can be greatly influenced by whether they have a distraction device like this,” David Higginson, executive vice president and COO of Phoenix Children’s Hospital, told HealthTech.

Phoenix Children’s makes tablets available to their young patients and encourages them to use the device as if it were their own. Patients can stream educational videos and kid-friendly movies from the hospital’s server and even access their own social media accounts.

“We have patients with cystic fibrosis who have to be in isolation over the winter months. Imagine being a teenager locked in a room with no access to social media for a month. It’s miserable,” Higginson says.

With the right distraction in hand, however, the experience can be less so.