Mitigating Paediatric Anxiety Through Interactive Media in Healthcare Settings

Abstract

An idle child [in the hospital] is less likely to be joyful than one who has something fascinating to do. Where play can be arranged under expert supervision, it is very helpful. (Platt 1959, p.25)

Hospital waiting spaces can be particularly stressful for children, often leading to anxiety and discomfort. Drawing from Platt's (1959) statement, suggesting that occupied children are happier and calmer, this research proposes a reimagining of waiting spaces with a focus on interactive, contact-free media designed to reduce stress. Utilizing Evidence-Based Design (EBD) principles, the research will focus on to how interactive media can serve as positive distraction, improving children's emotional well-being during waiting periods. The proposal seeks to be directly implemented in re-thinking and design of waiting spaces in hospitals as one of the most stressful spaces experienced by children, capturing the attention of a broad spectrum of scholars in fields including architecture, public health, psychology, and interior architecture. The ultimate intention of the research thus proposes that the findings would be further applied in promoting a less stressful waiting space in practice. Acceptance of a spectrum of methods would be applicable for the audience as long as the proposed methods underlay a legitimate adequacy.