FEATURE
The modality of play
Making the medical environment comfortable for children By Maddie Bozokis, Bozikis, MS, CCLS, CTRS
A
t large facilities and children’s hospitals, it’s not uncommon for interventional radiologists to work closely with skilled
child life specialists (CLSs) who are trained to help navigate children and families through the complicated and sometimes scary medical environment. These specialists not only help prepare patients for procedures but can also help keep pediatric patients calm during lengthy interventions, reducing the need for sedation.
But not all IRs who see pediatric patients will have a CLS on call. IR Quarterly
22 IRQ | WINTER 2024
spoke with Maddie Bozokis, MS, CCLS, CTRS, a child life specialist at University of Chicago Medicine on the purposes of a CLS and considerations for keeping pediatric patients calm and informed.
What is a CLS? Maddie Bozokis: We are experts in child development, and our role within interdisciplinary teams is to focus on patients’ and families’ psychosocial needs. We help kids cope with being in the hospital and use play as a modality to help normalize the environment. We also help prepare patients for
procedures, sometimes accompanying them or even providing procedural support—whatever is needed of us. Our ultimate goal is to decrease trauma in the medical environment.
What are some key considerations for physicians working with pediatric patients? MB: Play is their language—it’s how they learn and communicate, so it’s a modality that must be incorporated when working with them. Getting down to a child’s level is a huge benefit as well in order to even the playing field. I also believe that giving children opportunities to interact with real medical devices and materials—whether that be an IV or a catheter—before it’s used on them is a great way to ease fear. Giving kids the opportunity to manipulate those materials in a nonthreatening way is an easy way to start making them comfortable and showing them that, while the situation may be new and scary, their medical team is there to help them understand and get through it.
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