Hospitalized children experience: Play heroes to build bridges between hospital days and everyday life.

Play has positive effects on children's well-being and development. Play heroes, in Danish, called "Legeheltene", have worked, for the last 7 years, to improve play and movement for hospitalized children in Danish hospitals. However, the significance of this novel Danish intervention is insufficiently researched. This phenomenological-hermeneutic study explored how children experience interacting with a play hero when hospitalized at a Danish paediatric unit. Combined observations and interviews were performed with children from two paediatric departments. Data were analyzed with inspiration from the French philosopher Paul Ricoeur. Three themes were identified: "A sense of familiarity," "From loneliness to connectedness," and "Becoming more powerful." Children experience that interaction with play heroes is existentially meaningful. Through playful activities, children experience that they are connected to their daily lives outside the hospital and their true selves. Bridges to children's everyday lives are built, leading to an improved sense of freedom, security, and the ability to manage difficult aspects of their hospital stay. Engagement with play heroes provides children with an experience of well-being and can be a positive direction in care provided to hospitalized children.

A survey to explore the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on radiation therapists in Norway and Canada: A tale of two countries.

INTRODUCTION: Several studies have demonstrated the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care providers. However, there is little known about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted radiation therapists (RTs) in Norway or Canada. The aim of this investigation was to study the psychological impact of working during the COVID-19 pandemic among RTs in Canada and Norway. METHODS: Online surveys were administered to a convenience sample of RTs and RT department managers. Approximately 2000 and 300 RTs were invited to participate from Canada and Norway, respectively. The RT survey collected information on demographics, work-related stressors, psychological impact, quality of life, and workplace support programmes. The RT manager survey collected information on departmental changes, patient volumes, staff shortages and redeployment, personal protective equipment, and infection control measures. Descriptive analysis, group comparisons and logistic regression were used to examine the impact of COVID-19 on RTs in the two countries, while open-ended questions were examined through thematic analysis. RESULTS: Work-related stress and anxiety were prevalent among Canadian (n = 155) and Norwegian RTs (n = 124), with Canadian RTs reporting higher levels. Fear of transmission, changes in PPE usage, and changes in staffing were reported as the most frequent work-related stressors. Themes related to working during the pandemic included: generalised anxiety; physical, emotional and cognitive symptoms of stress; and loneliness, as well as negative impact on health and quality of relationships. Survey findings from RT department managers in Canada (n = 12) and Norway (n = 13) suggest that the pandemic had an organisational impact on RT departments due to implemented infection control measures and changes in staffing. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to similar stressors amongst Canadian and Norwegian RTs but relatively higher levels of psychological impact among Canadian RTs. Findings demonstrate the importance of mental health support programmes in the workplace to mitigate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on RTs.