After discussing this in class, I got more of an understanding about the article. The health care at clinics is different from a regular doctors office where the doctor knows the individual and has health records on them. I went to a clinic for a shot one time, just a pass by and it had a whole different feel from the regualar doctors office. I think that relying on sterotypes is not the correct thing to do just because not knowing the history of the patient but as a clinic expresses commonalities I think it is important for the doctors to connect with parents and families to make the parent know their child or themselves are in good hands. I remember getting stickers at the end of doctors visits, always enjoying that part of the visit.
Doctor's offices can always be nerve-racking experience, especially for a child. The smell of the doctor's office always gave it away. I knew where I was once I remembered that smell, and that made me really upset. As a little girl Sleeping Beauty was always my favorite Disney Princess. Whenever I had to get my finger pricked or got a shot, the doctor and my mom would tell me that Sleeping Beauty had to do the same thing, but the doctor pricked her finger with a spinning wheel. For some reason that always made me feel better. After my shot, I would get a disney princess band aid. This type of popular culture is not just used in doctor's offices, but in therapy sessions as well. For example, in the article it mentioned an occupational therapist and her client Manny. The young boy Manny was afraid of heights, to the point that he had to have his mattress on the floor. The occupational therapist noticed things about the boy, such as his love for Spiderman. She decided to bring a Spiderman coloring book to see if that would grab his attention. It did, and Manny began to feel more comfortable. This eventually led the boy to get into a rope hammock. These popular-culture figures can aid in fearful and frightening situations, particularly with young children. This all has to do with the relationships that are formed between the patient and doctor or therapist. To be able to connect or build on the relationship, doctor's may have to bring out that disney card.
This article made me think of going to the doctor when I was younger. I always got really sever ear infections, but would feel no pain so my parents would not know I had one until a routine check up. Anyways, I can remember having the same doctor, Dr. Mellow, until i became a teenager. The main reason for this was because my parents have health insurance. While I know that many children go through life seeing many different doctors, I cannot personally imagine what it would be like to not see the same doctor every time. While I have a different doctor now I still see the same one whenever I have to see a doctor. I also remember doctors and nurses using popular kids characters to help with certain situations. Being able to relate to a character at a young age always seems to help the doctor or nurse relate to the child as well.
It is very interesting that children choose characteristic bandaids after a boo boo. I never did that though when I was a kid. I never did before because when I went to the pediatric doctor, I always wanted a blow pop, preferable to a bandaid. The dum dum blow pops was more fun. I like the dum dums as a child because they were small and so many cool flavors to endeavor. I think the bandaid could effect a child's understanding but it can also create a comfort for a child. If a child is familiar with something then they feel safe or better. It's a physiology thing I believe. That goes back to the other article about the disease and how the tribe handles it. I think our society would prescribed it as a condition that needs medical treatment.
The two articles together are comparative but at the same time different. I enjoyed reading them and I enjoyed the discussion in class ( 02/07/12).
The story told in this article is quite interesting, and very true. stereotyping is something that has always, and will always exits, and be part of our every day life in our communities. health care will never be evenly distributed among every people. income, race, and culture will always determine how people will get the care they need in hospital setting. not everyone can afford expensive health insurance, therefore those who can't will not be able to receive the care they need like those who can afford it. The use of Disney character in hospital is very effective and helpful for both the sick kid, and the doctor.
This article was interesting in how it helped children cope and doctors with disease and illness of their patients. I often think of children who are suffering or have survived cancer and how most of their little life has been in a hospital setting, usually surrounded by other children with similar problems. I think this article helps us as humans to examine how to help and cope through very difficult time by turning to a comforting hero of sorts. My children always enjoyed the Disney characters, they both liked The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. Not only because the characters were “girls “, but they both could sing. These characters provided them with familiarity and took the edge off when seeing the doctor as they were displayed in the lobby and examining rooms-an effective way to reduce anxiety, language barriers, and spark conversation. I do agree that there are bias and health care disparities in our country and in others. Through education, increased available healthcare for all and shared beliefs and customs we can hopefully bridge an understanding for all people.
I really enjoyed reading this article. At the beginning of the article, it made me think of when my mom used to give me band aids with superheros on them. Whenever I had to get a shot at the doctor's office, she always had a cool band aid for me. I think that children are more comfortable in a scary or different situation when they have something familiar, such as a certain type of band aid.
Another part of the article talked about stereotypes. I do not think that people should rely on stereotypes because the patient may be totally different then you perceive them. I have grown up with the same doctor since I was little, so I cannot relate to seeing a different doctor every time. But, I volunteer at the Free Clinic in Columbia and the doctor and nurses there try to be fair and treat every patient equally. Stereotypes are part of everyday life, but with my experience in the clinic, the nurses are not judgmental and treat the patients with respect.
I think that many people could relate to this article and most likely have some type of experience that they can draw upon.
I thought this article was really interesting and relatable since my favorite Disney character when I was growing up was Pocahontas. When I was five years old, I fell and ended up splitting my leg open. It was a very deep wound and you could see my mussels and I was bleeding profusely. It was disgusting and very traumatizing. I had to have plastic surgery on my leg and I was awake through the whole procedure. All I remember is my mom telling me that if I lie still and quiet she would buy me a Pocahontas doll that I had been wanting. Miraculously, her bribes worked and I laid still for the surgery and got the doll that I wanted. When I was older, my mom told me that the doctor had also made things easy for me by talking about Pocahontas while he performed the surgery. As the article states, doctors search for a common ground with patients and their parents so that they can relate to them and gain their trust in order to take the best care of them that they can. AS the article talks about in an urban clinic, it is often hard for the doctors to relate to the patients and their parents because they come from completely different backgrounds and walks of life. Popular culture and the media are tools that a doctor can use in order to more effectively treat his patients. As far as discrimination in the healthcare system goes, I believe that the doctor should look at each patient equally regardless of their social status or background. I'm not sure if the Hippocratic Oath that doctors have to take addresses that or not, but they should feel obligated in their profession to look at each patient as a human being who needs their help
This article was really interesting. I think the use of Disney characters in medical settings can be really helpful. The example in the article of Spiderman was a great way to show how a this character can help a child overcome fear. I think the use of stickers or band aids with a childs favorite character can also be really helpful in making the child feel brave.
I found the topics covered in this article to be very interesting. The idea of relating popular media to a child so they do not feel as uncomfortable in the doctors office can apply to many different settings. This is also used in classrooms everywhere so that the students have an object, or idea, to relate the class material to. The other issue discussed within the article was that African Americans may be stigmatized when receiving medical assistance. As a public health major, we talk about these issues very often and I find it very upsetting. A person's healthcare quality and access shouldn't be determined by the color of their skin or socioeconomic status. I found the quote from a physician about moving the sickle-cell patient aside to make room for a patient undergoing chemotherapy to be sad. There should be no care-giver bias in a medical setting.
Using popular culture as part of lingua franca to relate the patients can be a very helpful practice. From the perspective of the children, receiving a band-aid or candy can lessen the stress of going to the doctor's office (or clinic in this case). Most of the time, children are upset after getting a shot or physical not because of the pain, but because it is a scary experience for them. Receiving a colorful band-aid, sticker, or candy afterwards relieves their emotional turmoil. This not only makes the children feel better about the doctor's office, but makes the parents grateful for the doctor's help, and therefore more likely to continue to visit the clinic.
I found this article really interesting, probably because I have gone through similar situations as a child. I definitely think giving a child a band aid with a familiar face on it would help the child get through the doctor visit easier. From what I can remember, I loved having band aids with Disney princesses on them or a cartoon that I liked to watch. I remember my grandma always bought my sister and I band aids that we liked back then, and now she buys my four year old cousin his favorite band aids. I think that is really interesting because obviously helping children cope with a boo boo or doctors visit is very important and children really do need something to help them get over their fear. I have never been a fan of going to the doctor, but I knew at the end I would always get a "pretty band aid" and a sucker. I think familiarity provides a lot of comfort to a small child when they are scared.
I believe it is a great idea to use Disney characters in a doctor's office or anything of the like, to be able to relate to children of all different ethnicities or backgrounds. I think it is very helpful for healthcare workers to take note of what the child likes and then to incorporate it into their treatment. I really liked the story about the boy who was afraid of heights and the healthcare worker noticed that he liked spiderman and then used that for treatment. It is nice to know that a lot of these health professionals are being thoughtful and actually care about the comfort of the child. I have noticed that in my son's dr's office, each room has a them of mostly disney and other childhood favorites, and they always are so good with him and give him a sticker when we leave. It is very important for the parent and child to have healthcare professionals who demonstrate that they care.
I believe that characters are used to entice children but it is not a bad thing. The characters created by Disney or Nickelodeon are targeted towards children. The cartoons are, for the most part, wholesome and sometimes even educational. Doctors offices make me grown adults nervous so it is no surprise that kids fear them as well. Using something familiar to comfort a child is a great way to form a bond with them and make it easier for them to adjust to the big chair and shiny tools. When I was younger, my orthodontist had an ocean-themed office. They had painted murals and their own cartoon fish logo. They also had a safari themed consultation room. As a kid, I wanted to go to these rooms to see the different pictures and colors. They also had Gameboys (do you remember those?!) at each chair for the kids to play with. I would play games with Scooby Doo or Mario in them and feel better about the whole experience. To this day, I love my orthodontist and his staff. Everything came together to make it a nice experience, even if I knew I would be getting my braces tightened..
You should always want someone in pain to feel comforatable. Using things that someone knows and likes is a great way to ease pain. As a kid I loved band aids with characters on them. They made the worst cuts feel like they never happened. Even today when I'm at someone else's house that have kids and I somehow cut myself, I still get a little excited to put on a spongebob band aid. Maybe if doctors tried this (using things that adults like), it would make things a little less uneasy at the doctor's office.
I thought that this article raised some interesting points. The mention of band-aids with cartoon characters is very interesting because it makes children like band-aids. I've even heard of some children that make the assumption that band aids cure injuries, and even want their parents to put band aids on their stomach to cure a stomach ache.
The issue of stereotyping can be very detrimental to an individuals' health because the doctor should look at the fullest medical history available rather than make assumptions about anything based on ethnicity. However, if doctors have to see dozens of patients a day they may have to make assumptions and know to test for certain diseases that certain groups of people are at a higher risk of contracting
As a child, I was petrified of going to the doctor. Getting band-aids with little cartoon characters on them, and the lollypop afterwards, really helped alleviate a lot of my fears. Gradually, I learned that I would be alright after I got done with the doctor, and I was okay with it.
There's a lot to be said for psychosomatic healing, and I think this article expressed that, albeit in a slightly cursory way.
After discussing this in class, I got more of an understanding about the article. The health care at clinics is different from a regular doctors office where the doctor knows the individual and has health records on them. I went to a clinic for a shot one time, just a pass by and it had a whole different feel from the regualar doctors office. I think that relying on sterotypes is not the correct thing to do just because not knowing the history of the patient but as a clinic expresses commonalities I think it is important for the doctors to connect with parents and families to make the parent know their child or themselves are in good hands. I remember getting stickers at the end of doctors visits, always enjoying that part of the visit.
ReplyDeleteDoctor's offices can always be nerve-racking experience, especially for a child. The smell of the doctor's office always gave it away. I knew where I was once I remembered that smell, and that made me really upset. As a little girl Sleeping Beauty was always my favorite Disney Princess. Whenever I had to get my finger pricked or got a shot, the doctor and my mom would tell me that Sleeping Beauty had to do the same thing, but the doctor pricked her finger with a spinning wheel. For some reason that always made me feel better. After my shot, I would get a disney princess band aid. This type of popular culture is not just used in doctor's offices, but in therapy sessions as well. For example, in the article it mentioned an occupational therapist and her client Manny. The young boy Manny was afraid of heights, to the point that he had to have his mattress on the floor. The occupational therapist noticed things about the boy, such as his love for Spiderman. She decided to bring a Spiderman coloring book to see if that would grab his attention. It did, and Manny began to feel more comfortable. This eventually led the boy to get into a rope hammock. These popular-culture figures can aid in fearful and frightening situations, particularly with young children. This all has to do with the relationships that are formed between the patient and doctor or therapist. To be able to connect or build on the relationship, doctor's may have to bring out that disney card.
ReplyDeleteThis article made me think of going to the doctor when I was younger. I always got really sever ear infections, but would feel no pain so my parents would not know I had one until a routine check up. Anyways, I can remember having the same doctor, Dr. Mellow, until i became a teenager. The main reason for this was because my parents have health insurance. While I know that many children go through life seeing many different doctors, I cannot personally imagine what it would be like to not see the same doctor every time. While I have a different doctor now I still see the same one whenever I have to see a doctor. I also remember doctors and nurses using popular kids characters to help with certain situations. Being able to relate to a character at a young age always seems to help the doctor or nurse relate to the child as well.
ReplyDeleteIt is very interesting that children choose characteristic bandaids after a boo boo. I never did that though when I was a kid. I never did before because when I went to the pediatric doctor, I always wanted a blow pop, preferable to a bandaid. The dum dum blow pops was more fun. I like the dum dums as a child because they were small and so many cool flavors to endeavor. I think the bandaid could effect a child's understanding but it can also create a comfort for a child. If a child is familiar with something then they feel safe or better. It's a physiology thing I believe. That goes back to the other article about the disease and how the tribe handles it. I think our society would prescribed it as a condition that needs medical treatment.
ReplyDeleteThe two articles together are comparative but at the same time different. I enjoyed reading them and I enjoyed the discussion in class ( 02/07/12).
ob
The story told in this article is quite interesting, and very true. stereotyping is something that has always, and will always exits, and be part of our every day life in our communities. health care will never be evenly distributed among every people. income, race, and culture will always determine how people will get the care they need in hospital setting. not everyone can afford expensive health insurance, therefore those who can't will not be able to receive the care they need like those who can afford it. The use of Disney character in hospital is very effective and helpful for both the sick kid, and the doctor.
ReplyDeleteThis article was interesting in how it helped children cope and doctors with disease and illness of their patients. I often think of children who are suffering or have survived cancer and how most of their little life has been in a hospital setting, usually surrounded by other children with similar problems. I think this article helps us as humans to examine how to help and cope through very difficult time by turning to a comforting hero of sorts. My children always enjoyed the Disney characters, they both liked The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. Not only because the characters were “girls “, but they both could sing. These characters provided them with familiarity and took the edge off when seeing the doctor as they were displayed in the lobby and examining rooms-an effective way to reduce anxiety, language barriers, and spark conversation. I do agree that there are bias and health care disparities in our country and in others. Through education, increased available healthcare for all and shared beliefs and customs we can hopefully bridge an understanding for all people.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this article. At the beginning of the article, it made me think of when my mom used to give me band aids with superheros on them. Whenever I had to get a shot at the doctor's office, she always had a cool band aid for me. I think that children are more comfortable in a scary or different situation when they have something familiar, such as a certain type of band aid.
ReplyDeleteAnother part of the article talked about stereotypes. I do not think that people should rely on stereotypes because the patient may be totally different then you perceive them. I have grown up with the same doctor since I was little, so I cannot relate to seeing a different doctor every time. But, I volunteer at the Free Clinic in Columbia and the doctor and nurses there try to be fair and treat every patient equally. Stereotypes are part of everyday life, but with my experience in the clinic, the nurses are not judgmental and treat the patients with respect.
I think that many people could relate to this article and most likely have some type of experience that they can draw upon.
I thought this article was really interesting and relatable since my favorite Disney character when I was growing up was Pocahontas. When I was five years old, I fell and ended up splitting my leg open. It was a very deep wound and you could see my mussels and I was bleeding profusely. It was disgusting and very traumatizing. I had to have plastic surgery on my leg and I was awake through the whole procedure. All I remember is my mom telling me that if I lie still and quiet she would buy me a Pocahontas doll that I had been wanting. Miraculously, her bribes worked and I laid still for the surgery and got the doll that I wanted. When I was older, my mom told me that the doctor had also made things easy for me by talking about Pocahontas while he performed the surgery. As the article states, doctors search for a common ground with patients and their parents so that they can relate to them and gain their trust in order to take the best care of them that they can. AS the article talks about in an urban clinic, it is often hard for the doctors to relate to the patients and their parents because they come from completely different backgrounds and walks of life. Popular culture and the media are tools that a doctor can use in order to more effectively treat his patients. As far as discrimination in the healthcare system goes, I believe that the doctor should look at each patient equally regardless of their social status or background. I'm not sure if the Hippocratic Oath that doctors have to take addresses that or not, but they should feel obligated in their profession to look at each patient as a human being who needs their help
ReplyDeleteThis article was really interesting. I think the use of Disney characters in medical settings can be really helpful. The example in the article of Spiderman was a great way to show how a this character can help a child overcome fear. I think the use of stickers or band aids with a childs favorite character can also be really helpful in making the child feel brave.
ReplyDeleteI found the topics covered in this article to be very interesting. The idea of relating popular media to a child so they do not feel as uncomfortable in the doctors office can apply to many different settings. This is also used in classrooms everywhere so that the students have an object, or idea, to relate the class material to. The other issue discussed within the article was that African Americans may be stigmatized when receiving medical assistance. As a public health major, we talk about these issues very often and I find it very upsetting. A person's healthcare quality and access shouldn't be determined by the color of their skin or socioeconomic status. I found the quote from a physician about moving the sickle-cell patient aside to make room for a patient undergoing chemotherapy to be sad. There should be no care-giver bias in a medical setting.
ReplyDeleteUsing popular culture as part of lingua franca to relate the patients can be a very helpful practice. From the perspective of the children, receiving a band-aid or candy can lessen the stress of going to the doctor's office (or clinic in this case). Most of the time, children are upset after getting a shot or physical not because of the pain, but because it is a scary experience for them. Receiving a colorful band-aid, sticker, or candy afterwards relieves their emotional turmoil. This not only makes the children feel better about the doctor's office, but makes the parents grateful for the doctor's help, and therefore more likely to continue to visit the clinic.
ReplyDeleteI found this article really interesting, probably because I have gone through similar situations as a child. I definitely think giving a child a band aid with a familiar face on it would help the child get through the doctor visit easier. From what I can remember, I loved having band aids with Disney princesses on them or a cartoon that I liked to watch. I remember my grandma always bought my sister and I band aids that we liked back then, and now she buys my four year old cousin his favorite band aids. I think that is really interesting because obviously helping children cope with a boo boo or doctors visit is very important and children really do need something to help them get over their fear. I have never been a fan of going to the doctor, but I knew at the end I would always get a "pretty band aid" and a sucker. I think familiarity provides a lot of comfort to a small child when they are scared.
ReplyDeleteI believe it is a great idea to use Disney characters in a doctor's office or anything of the like, to be able to relate to children of all different ethnicities or backgrounds. I think it is very helpful for healthcare workers to take note of what the child likes and then to incorporate it into their treatment. I really liked the story about the boy who was afraid of heights and the healthcare worker noticed that he liked spiderman and then used that for treatment. It is nice to know that a lot of these health professionals are being thoughtful and actually care about the comfort of the child. I have noticed that in my son's dr's office, each room has a them of mostly disney and other childhood favorites, and they always are so good with him and give him a sticker when we leave. It is very important for the parent and child to have healthcare professionals who demonstrate that they care.
ReplyDeleteI believe that characters are used to entice children but it is not a bad thing. The characters created by Disney or Nickelodeon are targeted towards children. The cartoons are, for the most part, wholesome and sometimes even educational. Doctors offices make me grown adults nervous so it is no surprise that kids fear them as well. Using something familiar to comfort a child is a great way to form a bond with them and make it easier for them to adjust to the big chair and shiny tools. When I was younger, my orthodontist had an ocean-themed office. They had painted murals and their own cartoon fish logo. They also had a safari themed consultation room. As a kid, I wanted to go to these rooms to see the different pictures and colors. They also had Gameboys (do you remember those?!) at each chair for the kids to play with. I would play games with Scooby Doo or Mario in them and feel better about the whole experience. To this day, I love my orthodontist and his staff. Everything came together to make it a nice experience, even if I knew I would be getting my braces tightened..
ReplyDeleteYou should always want someone in pain to feel comforatable. Using things that someone knows and likes is a great way to ease pain. As a kid I loved band aids with characters on them. They made the worst cuts feel like they never happened. Even today when I'm at someone else's house that have kids and I somehow cut myself, I still get a little excited to put on a spongebob band aid. Maybe if doctors tried this (using things that adults like), it would make things a little less uneasy at the doctor's office.
ReplyDeleteI thought that this article raised some interesting points. The mention of band-aids with cartoon characters is very interesting because it makes children like band-aids. I've even heard of some children that make the assumption that band aids cure injuries, and even want their parents to put band aids on their stomach to cure a stomach ache.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of stereotyping can be very detrimental to an individuals' health because the doctor should look at the fullest medical history available rather than make assumptions about anything based on ethnicity. However, if doctors have to see dozens of patients a day they may have to make assumptions and know to test for certain diseases that certain groups of people are at a higher risk of contracting
As a child, I was petrified of going to the doctor. Getting band-aids with little cartoon characters on them, and the lollypop afterwards, really helped alleviate a lot of my fears. Gradually, I learned that I would be alright after I got done with the doctor, and I was okay with it.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot to be said for psychosomatic healing, and I think this article expressed that, albeit in a slightly cursory way.