Going to the hospital can be scary at any age.

It can be exceptionally frightening for children, especially if they乌鸦传媒檙e in pain, which is often the case when visiting the emergency room.

That乌鸦传媒檚 why a Peace Arch Hospital doctor teamed up with a puppeteer and ventriloquist to create videos about several common procedures that a young patient might experience when they come to the ER.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 about trying to make the ER less scary for kids,乌鸦传媒� said Dr. Amir Behboudi, an emergency room doctor at Peace Arch Hospital.

乌鸦传媒淲e want to decrease children乌鸦传媒檚 anxiety when they come to the hospital.乌鸦传媒�

It乌鸦传媒檚 something Behboudi has been wanting to do for several years. When his own young son had to go to Surrey Memorial hospital with a face infection, a child life specialist used distraction techniques to administer his IV, or intravenous line.

After witnessing his son乌鸦传媒檚 positive response, Behboudi knew he wanted, more than ever, to do something, but funding wasn乌鸦传媒檛 available for child life specialists at Peace Arch Hospital.

However, he managed to find some funding through Peace Arch Hospital Foundation and, in collaboration with Child Life at BC Children乌鸦传媒檚 Hospital and Tsz Shing (Brandon) Ng, a UBC medical student, 乌鸦传媒渨e teamed up to discuss what common scenarios that come up in the ER.乌鸦传媒�

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He then garnered the help of Kellie Haines 乌鸦传媒� a puppeteer and ventriloquist he and his wife have known for years 乌鸦传媒� and Beyond Your Eye Productions to create videos about six common ER scenarios: X-ray, ultrasound, blood draw, CT scans, starting an IV and procedural sedation.

乌鸦传媒淲e wanted it to be colourful and we wanted it to be action-oriented, so children can see what乌鸦传媒檚 going on,乌鸦传媒� Haines said.

The video series 乌鸦传媒� entitled 乌鸦传媒淢agrau and Kellie and the Hospital乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒� features Haines with one of her puppets, a large and rather absent-minded bird named Magrau.

乌鸦传媒淭he videos are intended to help kids feel less scared at the hospital, and to educate the child 乌鸦传媒� and their caregiver(s) 乌鸦传媒� and get them prepared for what they乌鸦传媒檙e about to do,乌鸦传媒� Haines said.

In the videos, Magrau and Kellie, with the help of Peace Arch Hospital medical staff, talk about what乌鸦传媒檚 about to happen, and physically show each step of every procedure, such as the gel being applied to the ultrasound scanner before the doctor uses it on Magrau乌鸦传媒檚 stomach, or how weighted blankets might be used when undergoing a CT scan.

They share little jokes and gags to help make viewers laugh while also explaining everything technical in an easy-to-understand way.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 to alleviate their stress and redirect them 乌鸦传媒� it乌鸦传媒檚 a way for them to see what乌鸦传媒檚 going to happen and makes it less scary. If a bird with bright orange legs can do it, then it must not be so scary,乌鸦传媒� she said.

Behboudi and Haines note the videos and posters 乌鸦传媒� colourful images with QR codes featuring Magrau and Kellie are posted throughout the Peace Arch Hospital ER 乌鸦传媒� are free for any hospitals to use or post on their own walls.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 free for anyone, definitely,乌鸦传媒� Behboudi said, noting the posters with the QR codes are easy to use.

乌鸦传媒淜ids come in and they乌鸦传媒檙e in pain and scared乌鸦传媒� then we乌鸦传媒檒l show the Mom or Dad or caregiver the poster(s) and they use their own devices (such as smart phones or tablets) to scan the code and access the video,乌鸦传媒� he said.

乌鸦传媒淭hen you see them both getting engaged as they watch 乌鸦传媒� it helps calm both the parents and the kids.乌鸦传媒�

Peace Arch Hospital Foundation executive director Stephanie Beck noted the funding was secured through a grant.

乌鸦传媒淭his innovative project was funded through our Peace Arch Hospital and Fraser Health Community Grant stream,乌鸦传媒� she said.

乌鸦传媒淕rants of this kind aim to support employees of Peace Arch Hospital and Fraser Health Authority who work in White Rock and South Surrey, helping them to enhance patient care or assisting them in funding equipment, projects, or renovations that are not typically funded by Fraser Health.乌鸦传媒�

To access the posters and videos, visit their .

tricia.weel@peacearchnews.com
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