The Brave Buddy Campaign: Combining Comfort with Care
At the heart of Morton & Partners Radiologists is the Brave Buddy campaign, a testament to their dedication to not just medical excellence but also patient support. Recognizing the anxiety and fear that MR and CT scans can invoke in their youngest patients, Morton & Partners took a step beyond conventional medical care. They introduced the Brave Buddy – a soft, plush toy given to children between the ages of 1 and 8, turning a daunting hospital experience into a journey of courage and comfort.
The Brave Buddy is not just a toy; it’s a companion in the truest sense, offering a tangible source of comfort to children as they step into the world of medical imaging. This campaign seamlessly integrates compassion into the clinical environment, ensuring that the child’s emotional well-being is catered to alongside their physical health.
Through this compassionate initiative, Morton & Partners Radiologists not only ease the fear of medical procedures but also foster a sense of trust and security, making each child’s visit a little less intimidating and a lot more comforting.
Alleviating Fears through Medical Play
Through medical play, intimidating devices become familiar objects, and the clinical environment transforms into a space for exploration and learning. As children engage in role-play and simulations with their Brave Buddies, they find clarity amidst confusion and empowerment in place of helplessness, making each step of their medical journey less frightening and more understandable.
Since the rollout of the Brave Buddy campaign in 2019, over 5000 soft toys have found their way into the arms of young patients, each one carrying stories of bravery and resilience. Parents and healthcare professionals alike have witnessed the transformative power of these plush companions.
From the teary-eyed first encounter with a medical device to a confident walk into the scan room, the Brave Buddies have been silent yet potent witnesses to countless journeys of courage.
One particular story echoes in the halls of Morton & Partners – a four-year-old girl clutching her Brave Buddy as she entered the MRI room. Initially fraught with anxiety, her grip on the toy softened as she mimicked the medical play she’d practiced, transforming her fear into a narrative of bravery and resilience. It’s stories like these that underscore the profound impact of the Brave Buddy campaign in demystifying medical experiences for children.
The effects of toys and medical play in easing Anxiety
The efficacy of initiatives like the Brave Buddy campaign and the broader concept of medical play is not just anecdotal but is also supported by scientific research and have been implemented in hospitals such as Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a notable study by F Ghabeli, N Moheb, and SDH Nasab, titled “Effect of toys and preoperative visit on reducing children’s anxiety and their parents before surgery and satisfaction with the treatment process,” published in the Journal of Caring Sciences in 2014, sheds light on this subject.
This study, accessible through [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov](https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov), delves into the impact of toys and preoperative visits on alleviating anxiety in children and their parents prior to surgery, while also examining the satisfaction with the treatment process.
The findings of this study underscore the significance of providing children with a familiar, comforting element – like a toy. The presence of toys and a well-structured preoperative visit were shown to significantly reduce anxiety levels in both children and their parents, highlighting the importance of psychological preparation alongside medical readiness. The study also noted an increase in satisfaction with the treatment process, illustrating that the emotional state of the patient and their family plays a crucial role in the overall healthcare experience.
By incorporating the principles highlighted in this study, Morton & Partners Radiologists’ Brave Buddy campaign, and similar initiatives in other institutions, are not just addressing the immediate needs of young patients but are also contributing to a more holistic, patient-centered approach to healthcare. These practices underscore the philosophy that healing is a multidimensional process, where emotional comfort and understanding are just as vital as the medical treatment itself.
As each Brave Buddy finds its place in a young patient’s journey, it carries with it the promise of comfort, the power of play, and the possibility of a healthcare journey navigated with courage and understanding.
Because at Morton & Partners Radiologists, it’s not just about radiology.