Clinic's Hospital Leaves Children Fearful of Medical Care Provided by Teddy
Teddy Hospital at University Hospital Darmstadt Helps Children and Medical Students
In a unique and educational event, the University Hospital Darmstadt recently hosted the fourth annual "Teddy Hospital." This initiative aims to help children overcome their fear of hospitals and doctors, while providing medical students with valuable practical experience in pediatric care.
The event saw around 600 kindergarten children, accompanied by their favourite stuffed animals, attending the hospital for three days. Among these cuddly companions were Yolanda's cat "Kitty," a Stegosaurus, a T-Rex, and even Pikachu. Each toy underwent a mock examination, with medical students examining them individually at small tables, just like in a real treatment room.
One of the medical students, Katharina Küllmer, held a small teddy bear with a red heart and expressed her goal to take away children's fear of hospitals. She found the experience beautiful, explaining that she learns a lot from the children. In fact, she reported gaining more confidence in dealing with children through this practical experience.
A highlight of the event was the surgery of a giant teddy bear, which was placed outside the entrance of the hospital on a blue stretcher. After a numbing injection, the bear's belly was opened with a zipper. Small cotton balls were removed during the surgery, and afterwards, everyone stuck a band-aid on the bear.
The Teddy Hospital event at University Hospital Darmstadt is part of a wider trend in university hospitals with medical training programs. Similar initiatives are recognised for their positive impact on both medical education and pediatric patient care by improving children's comfort and students’ readiness.
While the specific origins and impact metrics of the Darmstadt event are not extensively documented, it is clear that the event serves a dual purpose. It helps children understand basic medical procedures in a playful and non-threatening way, while offering medical students an opportunity to practice clinical skills, bedside manners, and empathy in a supervised, low-pressure environment.
The hospital is likely to invite children and their cuddly toys again next year, continuing this educational and therapeutic model that promotes a better understanding of healthcare for children and enhances medical students' pediatric training through experiential learning with teddy bear patients.
Other educational initiatives in health-and-wellness, such as the Teddy Hospital, may also extend to education-and-self-development fields. For instance, this event could potentially collaborate with science education programs to help children learn about medical procedures in a fun and interactive manner.
Through the employment of experiential learning methods like the Teddy Hospital, medical students not only improve their clinical skills and bedside manners, but they also cultivate empathy, which is valuable in both health-and-wellness and education-and-self-development sectors.
