The role of illustration in pediatric hospitalisation : a collaborative project between ESAD and Pedro Hispano's hospital of Matosinhos

• Autor(a) principal: Saraiva, José
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: Varzim, Marta, Cordeiro, Helena
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.11/8215
• topic: Illustration; Hospital pediatrics; Humane; Well-being; Ilustração; Hospital; Pediatria; Humanizar; Bem-estar

Health services, in particular pediatric units in a hospital, are increasingly committed to human well-being, on the one hand by re-searching more effective treatments, on the other hand by promoting emotional well-be-ing for their patients, caregivers and profes-sionals. The investment in making hospital environments and services more humane is evident in several studies and projects dis-seminated around the world. Even so, and despite these efforts, most people continue to have a negative feeling when they think of a hospital. For an institution whose main objective is to preserve and restore health, a negative impression or a feeling of discomfort can be seen as a factor of stress that does not contribute to the patients’ quick recovery. Although fear or stress reduction values are difficult to quantify, empirical evidence shows that there are intangible factors crucial for the patients’ recovery and well-being (Lankstonet al., 2010) [1].This is an issue of increasing importance, therefore this paper will analyze how illus-tration can play a decisive role in the child’s perception and overall experience in hospital. It will also evaluate how illustrators and sto-rytellers’ commitment in creating a positive, playful and comfortable environment for pa-tients and caregivers has been recognised by the whole community. The process of adapt-ing an illustrated children’s picture book to a specific hospital area, its effectiveness and how it can reach other audiences, will be widely analyzed.