Design and pilot testing of therapeutic clothing for hospitalized children

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and pilot program of a parent designed clothing option for hospitalized infants and children and to better understand the importance and effects of hospital clothing on families. Little research has been done on how clothing a hospitalized child impacts the child's quality of life and their parent's perception of care. Research has been limited to clothing in adults and its relation to infection.

Design and Methods

A pediatric outfit (the Georgie) for hospitalized infants and children was designed based on insight from bedside nursing, physicians, parents, and supply chain personnel. The garment was pilot tested on select patients from intensive care units of a large children's hospital. A pre- and post-use questionnaire was disseminated with questions focused on aspects of the child's care, comfort in changing child's clothes/diapers, number of times the Georgie was used and comfort level of using the Georgie. Survey responses were summarized using descriptive statistics.

Results

Parents overall response to the Georgie was positive with great value placed on having their child dressed. All parents (n = 5) responded that too many lines were an obstacle to having their child dressed. Compared to the hospital Johnny, the Georgie (80%, n = 4) was the most preferred when placement and securement of monitoring lines was taken into consideration with one parent preferring a blanket and diaper only. Nurses felt the benefit outweighed the added effort in dressing the patient. The majority of the nurses had a positive initial reaction to the Georgie (80%, n = 4) and felt the lines or external devices were “very secure/secure” (80%, n = 4) when the patient was wearing the Georgie.

Practice Implications

Implementing a new family centered care initiative of dressing critically ill patients in the Georgie may improve patient and family's quality of life while hospitalized. A larger scale study is indicated to assess the importance of dressing hospitalized pediatric patients for their families, to clarify the effect on nursing care, to optimize ability to stabilize lines, and to understand logistical issues.