“Teddy Bear Hospital Project” school visits improve pre-clerkship students’ comfort explaining medical concepts to children

Hannah  Kis; Kaitlin Endres; Anna  Karwowska; Megan Harrison; Stephanie Lau; Olivia Lemire; Marc Zucker

doi:10.36834/cmej.73167

“Teddy Bear Hospital Project” school visits improve pre-clerkship students’ comfort explaining medical concepts to children

Authors

Hannah Kis University of Ottawa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3362-4640
Kaitlin Endres University of Ottawa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5797-5712
Anna Karwowska University of Ottawa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0132-4803
Megan Harrison University of Ottawa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9909-7233
Stephanie Lau University of Ottawa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8102-102X
Olivia Lemire University of Ottawa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1309-3790
Marc Zucker University of Ottawa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7793-6355

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36834/cmej.73167

Abstract

Implication Statement

The “Teddy Bear Hospital Project” (TBHP) is a low cost, international initiative aimed at reducing children’s fears associated with healthcare visits by modelling these interactions using teddy bears. The University of Ottawa program had the additional objective of assessing whether TBHP increased pre-clerkship medical students’ comfort communicating medical concepts to children. Our student volunteers reported a statistically significant increase in their comfort communicating medical topics to young children and all volunteers would recommend TBHP to a colleague interested in pursuing family medicine or pediatrics. Our program could also be easily replicated by Pediatric Interest Groups at other Canadian medical schools.

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Published

2022-04-21

How to Cite

Kis H, Endres K, Karwowska A, Harrison M, Lau S, Lemire O, et al. “Teddy Bear Hospital Project” school visits improve pre-clerkship students’ comfort explaining medical concepts to children. Can. Med. Ed. J [Internet]. 2022 Apr. 21 [cited 2025 Apr. 6];13(3):70-4. Available from: https://dev.journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cmej/article/view/73167

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Issue

Vol. 13 No. 3 (2022): and Special Issue on Change in Medical Education

Section

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