Imagine that we are at the doctor’s clinic. You see a child crying and yelling due to pain inflicted by injection and medical treatment. How do you feel? Are you anxious or worried when you bring your child to see a doctor? It is very normal to have this reaction. Since it is very painful to see your child suffering in pain, I shall suggest ways to help the children to cope with pain and medical treatment.

Ways to help children

1. Tell them the details of the medical appointment

The parents can tell the children about the date, time, place and reason for the appointment. They can describe the environment and person of a clinic or a hospital. Is there any toy corner, toy house or reading books for the children in the clinic or hospital? Who are the doctor and the nurse? What will they do for the children? Why they bring the children to see doctor? What will be the treatment of the illness?

For example, the parent tells his son, ”Today, I will bring you to see Dr. Lee at 9:00 a.m. at A Clinic because you have fever. Don’t worry. The doctor and nurse are very helpful and they will check your body and give you medicine so that you will recover soon.”

2. Role-play at Home

Role-play is a good way of learning for the children to experience a real life situation. Sometimes, the parents play the role of a doctor, nurse, and patient at home. The children will have experience of different roles through acting.

In my experience, children usually like to act as a doctor or a nurse. They will develop a sense of mastery or control over the situation. Through the change of roles, the children will experience different roles and become more familiarised with the physical and social environments of a clinic or a hospital. The parents can buy a doctor kit in a toyshop to play with children. A doctor kit includes stethoscope, thermometer, plasters, and blood pressure measuring equipment and so on. The choice of toy is according to the age and preference of the children. The role-playing game is good psychological and mental preparation for children.

In conclusion, preparing the children for the medical treatment is very important. Tell the children about the medical treatment and the role-playing game at home can prepare them to see a doctor psychologically.