Medical Role Play for Children: The Teddy Bear Hospital

In this episode, we explore the fascinating world of the Teddy Bear Hospital, a medical role-playing initiative designed to reduce children's anxiety about healthcare. This deep dive into a study from the Institute of Learning uncovers how this playful approach has been successfully implemented across Europe and Asia. We break down the key benefits for children, including lower anxiety, better behavior during real medical visits, and improved health knowledge. Plus, we discuss the potential for expanding the program to support neurodivergent children and how future research might take the Teddy Bear Hospital to the next level using technology like EEGs to study the effects of play on the brain.

Link to the publication: https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202107.0644/v1