In this month’s Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Hospital Care partnered with the Association of Child Life Professionals to update the 2014 Child Life Policy Statement (10.1542/peds.2020-040261). If you don’t work in a children’s hospital with a child life specialist, you might not be aware of the tremendous value they bring to the health care team. As noted in the policy statement, having a child life specialist in the hospital is associated with improved quality, outcomes, and patient and family experiences as well as decreased costs. With the expansion of providing services from the traditional inpatient unit to areas across the hospital including the operating rooms, emergency department, radiology, and outpatient clinics, the benefit of having a robust child life program cannot be overstated.
Unfortunately, many hospitals rely on philanthropy to support their child life programs. Given tight margins and decreasing payment for pediatric hospital services, “non-revenue” producing positions are the most likely ones to be cut. This is especially true for pediatric departments in general hospitals or smaller children’s hospitals within larger institutions where pediatrics is only a small portion of the hospital activity. The good news is the current policy statement offers guidance around benchmarking, productivity, and outcomes so pediatric leaders can successfully advocate for and keep their valuable child life programs. I’d go so far to say that this is a must read policy statement for pediatric department chairs and administrators to give them the ammunition they need to support their child life programs.
In the meantime, let’s send a large thank you to all the child life specialists out there who improve the experience for sick children and their families across the country.
