Aster has once again pioneered change in the healthcare landscape. With the recent publication of our pilot study on Child Life Services (CLS) in IJFMR (Impact Factor: 9.24), we celebrate a significant milestone—congratulations to Dr. Sushma Gopalan and the entire team!
CLS aims to ease the psychosocial challenges faced by children in hospitals, offering structured emotional and developmental support alongside traditional medical care. As the first hospital in India to formally establish this department, Aster has also taken on the responsibility of training future CLS practitioners.
Child Life Services draw from psychology, education, and healthcare to create child-friendly environments that reduce fear, anxiety, and stress in young patients. Our descriptive pilot study aimed to understand how these services support children in Indian hospital settings—and the findings are both insightful and impactful.
Key Insights from the Study:
- Emotional Support Over Play: Children showed a clear preference for talk-based support and counseling with their caregivers over play, especially as they grew older.
- Age-Specific Preferences:
- Normative play (regular, everyday play) was more appealing to children aged 0–5 and 5–10.
- Older children (10–20 years) responded better to conversation-based support, particularly with Child Life Assistants.
- Medical Play as Education: Integrating medical play helped psychoeducate children about their conditions, making treatment less intimidating.
- Screens as Distraction: While screens served as a useful diversion strategy, the study urges caution about overuse and potential impact on social interaction.
- Structured Support Works: A hierarchical model—with clear communication between Child Life Interns, Assistants, and Specialists—enabled more personalized interventions.
With CLS gaining ground in India, Aster continues to lead the way, not just in implementation but in research-backed best practices. As the only robust CLS department in the country, our commitment remains holistic child care and advancing knowledge in this field.