In the early days of the pandemic, my daughter, who had struggled with a respiratory infection throughout the previous winter, began to wheeze again. She started waking up in the middle of the night, requiring nebulizer treatments. My heart raced—COVID was my immediate fear. Her pediatrician ordered a COVID test.
During those initial weeks, testing meant a nasal swab performed by someone clad in a hazmat suit, reaching through the car window. My daughter braced herself during the procedure, and thankfully, the result was negative—a huge relief! However, nearly a year later, she vividly recounts the “swab that touched her brain.”
While her experience resulted in nothing more than a memorable story, many children might develop a lasting fear and mistrust of medical settings. This is precisely what Child Life Specialists aim to prevent through the Emotional Safety Initiative.
We spoke with Laura Jennings, President of the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP), about the Emotional Safety Initiative and a recent paper advocating for the prioritization of children’s emotional well-being alongside their physical safety in healthcare environments.
What Is The Emotional Safety Initiative?
The Emotional Safety Initiative is a movement dedicated to placing emotional safety on par with physical safety in all pediatric medical experiences. According to a press release from the ACLP, emotional safety encompasses “an intentional, interdisciplinary practice aimed at fostering resiliency, healing, and trust for pediatric patients and their families during medical experiences.” Essentially, it aims to create a stress-free and supportive atmosphere for patients and their families.
The Framework of the Emotional Safety Initiative
The initiative is built upon four essential components:
- Screening and Assessment: This component focuses on understanding patients and their families to establish a supportive framework. Assessments can be conducted before an admission for planned procedures or quickly in emergency situations.
- Intervention: Here, the emphasis is on ensuring the child’s comfort and understanding their previous experiences with medical procedures. Laura explains that this helps identify what was difficult in the past to avoid repeating it.
- Environment: For children, the medical setting can be intimidating—everything from the attire of healthcare workers to the size of the equipment can be frightening. This aspect of the initiative encourages the creation of a child-friendly environment, such as considering room designs that support family presence.
- Education, Training, and Communication: This component emphasizes that everyone involved in patient care, from security personnel to medical staff, plays a role in ensuring emotional safety. It aims to educate all teams on emotional safety standards.
The Importance of Emotional Safety
Research from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network indicates that 80% of pediatric patients and their families experience some form of traumatic stress following medical care for serious illnesses or injuries. The short-term consequences can include developmental regression and sleep issues, while the long-term effects can be even more severe, with children potentially developing a reluctance to seek healthcare as adults.
Laura recounted a heartbreaking story about a relative who faced a serious illness at the age of seven. At that time, emotional safety was largely neglected, and family visits were limited to designated hours. After enduring multiple surgeries and a year-long hospital stay, she grew up with an intense fear of medical environments, ultimately leading to her passing from a treatable condition.
Though this is a particularly tragic case, it underscores the need for Child Life Professionals to safeguard emotional safety.
How Parents Can Contribute to Emotional Safety
Parents can play a vital role in supporting their children’s emotional safety by recognizing the potential impact of medical procedures. Even seemingly minor procedures, like a nasal swab performed by a masked individual, can have lasting effects that a simple treat afterward might not remedy. Laura emphasizes the importance of parents asking questions and being aware of their options, as they are the true experts on their children.
For additional resources, parents can access a guide on the Emotional Safety Initiative website to learn about effective questions to pose to healthcare providers and how to ensure their child receives emotionally safe care. Ultimately, the Emotional Safety Initiative aims to help healthcare providers and parents recognize that fostering emotional safety significantly influences both physical and mental well-being, which is particularly important in pediatric care.
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Summary
The Emotional Safety Initiative is a crucial movement aimed at prioritizing children’s emotional well-being alongside their physical safety during medical procedures. With a four-part framework focusing on assessment, intervention, environment, and education, the initiative seeks to create a supportive atmosphere for pediatric patients and their families. Parents can also play a significant role by understanding the potential impacts of medical experiences and advocating for their children’s emotional safety.
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