That the health professional who attends to our children has a good attitude towards them, be patient and inspire confidence is essential when it comes to taking them to consultation. But this is not always enough with this and there are kids that just by seeing one white coat or medical instrument on the couch already get nervous.
That's why we liked the story of Tolo Villalonga, a pediatric nurse who decided adapt your query based on the Montessori method, organizing the room in corners, removing syringes from the sight of children and decorating the walls with children's drawings. The objective? Provide health care, while children enjoy and learn about health.
Organization by corners: heal and teach
Tolo Villalonga is a pediatric nurse at the Es Blanquer de Inca health center (Mallorca) and his consultation, inspired by the Montessori method, is revolutionizing the health care of the Balearic Islands. So it is that five pediatric consultations of other health centers in Mallorca want to follow their example and from the Department of Health it is even studied to apply it in adult consultations.
The nurse was inspired by the pedagogical method of María Montessori to design their query, and in the ability of children to learn if they are stimulated freely, respectfully and in carefully organized environments.
Hence, he decided to organize his consultation in corners where parents and children interact with him, are taken care of and at the same time they learn visually and through the game.
Educational posters, murals, photographs hanging on the walls, drawings, dolls, toys ... Any small space is valid to teach children, stimulate them and make them forget that they are in a nursing office.
The first thing children do when they enter Tolo's office is to tell him how they feel, using the mural of emotions. Subsequently, and depending on the need for health care presented by the baby or child, the nurse attends to them in specifically designed corners- Corner of physical activity, where Tolo explains to the children the different exercises that they must perform to improve their strength and elasticity.
Some paper dolls hanging on the wall playing sports help children to better understand the nurse's instructions while teaching them, in a very visual way, how they should proceed.
Corner of healthy eating, where the nurse explains to the kids what kind of food they should take with the help of a traffic light that lists food in three groups: the green ones, which should be consumed frequently, the oranges, which should be taken several times a week, and the red ones that They can only be consumed very occasionally.
Psychomotor corner, formed by different skill games that not only serve Tolo to diagnose certain problems, but are excellent entertainment for kids.
Nursing Corner, specially designed for mothers who have doubts about breastfeeding, postures or even how to proceed to give a massage to their newborn.
In this corner, the nurse helps them with photographs of nursing children, as well as with ragdolls that he carefully holds and carries to the chest to teach them how to place their babies.
How to make children happy to review or get vaccinated: the 'consultation by corners' of Tolo Villalonga //t.co/IFvz3a3nSa
- El Mundo Baleares (@elmundobaleares) July 19, 2017
But in addition to these health and teaching corners, Tolo also has a space to recognize children, weigh them, measure them and vaccinate them. Yes, all sanitary material is stored in color boxesIt's only taken out when necessary.
Both children and parents feel very comfortable in their consultation; not only for the treatment received but for the needs and curiosities that are aroused during the visit. Y the kids say goodbye with a smile and a fun sticker with a motivating message.
Hopefully this wonderful initiative will spread like wildfire and more health centers follow the example of Tolo's consultation. A consultation where the kids are the protagonists and where to go to a health check can be a tremendously fun and educational planVia The World
In Babies and More The pediatrician who does magic to ensure that children (almost) do not find out about vaccines, "Look Armando, I bring my mother to tell you about food and arms," Defending the rights of Children in a health center, Vaccines, how to avoid pain and my dialogue with the "teacher" (II)
