Visiting a doctor or a hospital is never easy. Still, it’s also important that kids don’t feel anxiety about doctor visits.
This is why Teddy bear clinic events are very popular. They help kids see first hand what’s like to be around doctors and see how they can help with various health issues.
One such event was in Ogden this week, Deseret News reports. It gathered about 450 kids and their parents who could explore the cabinets and see teddy bears and other stuffed animals get treated.
Kids could decide what are the health issues with their stuffies. The doctors examined them and with the help of the kids, healed the bears. They also gave the kids follow-up treatment ideas for home.
The goal of the event is simple – to show kids going to the doctor isn’t a scary thing. Of course, seeing the various equipment for the first time can be intimidating. This is why the Teddy bear clinic helps, as allows kids to get to know better the hospitals and the events there.
“They assume the very worst-case scenario or they hear things like CAT Scan and think there’s a cat in there waiting for them … so it’s putting terms that are frequently used in medical terminology into real life,” Christy Brown, nurse manager of the hospital’s pediatric unit says.
The Teddy bear clinic helps kids understand more about doctors and hospitals. It also shows them the effects of treatment. And it also gives them ideas for better healthcare. This way they receive better health education and are more inclined to visit their doctors regularly and keep their health in check. And it’s also a way for the kids to ask questions about any health issues they may have or wonder and see how the treatment will go. On the whole Teddy bear clinics ave very… healthy events.
