Technology Gaming Specialist for KCH through Child's Play Charity

Research related to the benefits of gaming on a child’s cognitive, social, and emotional development has increased the need for “gamifying” medical interventions to increase pediatric coping with hospitalization. The Kentucky Children’s Hospital Child Life Team has had small glimpses into the value of gaming for hospitalized children. As shared by one of our parents, “The value of gaming has been therapeutic in helping our son adjust to life without his sibling. At the hospital, ‘gaming’ allowed a distraction from the heavy reality of what was going on around. Gaming has helped ‘my son’ cope with loss and process grief in an appropriate way, and at an appropriate pace for his age.” This opinion and many other patient interactions and current research have led to increased requests from across the hospital for access to technology resources that support patients during hospitalization and treatment. To answer these requests, the child life department has begun to expand gaming resources available within the hospital to ensure these best-practice standards within the hospital environment. Unfortunately, our team currently lacks “tech-savvy” knowledge for therapeutic usage of technology and gaming despite having the equipment. This expertise knowledge gap results in limited gaming technologies during patient treatments. Through the Child’s Play Charity grant, we request funds to support a Gaming Child Life Specialist who will provide expertise and coordinate our gaming technology program. The Gaming Child Life Specialist on the child life team will develop an all-encompassing and quality therapeutic gaming program within Kentucky Children''s Hospital that supports pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients'' unique needs. Hiring a staff person focused solely on the therapeutic use of technology with pediatric patients will expand and enhance our medical team''s resources for the patients and families of Kentucky.