Clown doctors virtualized: hospital professionals’ perception regarding online visits during confinement in Portuguese public hospitals

Abstract Clown doctors’ artistic interventions directed to hospitalized children in the Portuguese public hospitals have been performed over the last 20 years, uninterruptedly. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the doctor clowns’ visits were interrupted, but soon after resumed in some hospitals, by means of visits online. The present study evaluates hospital professionals’ perception (n = 152) regarding clowns’ online visits. Participants were mostly nurses (n = 76), and child educators/teachers (n = 39) working in pediatrics (n = 139). Six months after the beginning of the visits, an online questionnaire was used to collect the data. A mixed-methods approach was used to analyse the data. Results indicate that most hospital professionals have a positive perception of online visits, considering that the quality of performance was preserved, and that children were engaged and benefited from the interactions. Moreover, participants acknowledge the organizations’ ability and promptness in developing an alternative way of visiting the children, even though some stressed that in-person visits are the most desirable format.