Photo: Dream Doctors Project
Spending time with a medical clown can shorten hospital stays for children. Researchers followed 51 children between 2 and 18 who were hospitalized due to pneumonia. As well as standard care, one group received a 15-minute visit from a medical clown. Three clowns from The Dream Doctors Project used music, singing, and guided imagination to help patients de-stress during the first 48 hours in hospital. Patients who interacted with a medical clown had a shorter hospital stay -- 43.5 hours on average, compared to 70 hours - and only needed two days of intravenous antibiotics, compared to three days for patients in the control group. There was a significant decrease in respiratory rate, heart rate, and inflammatory markers in the children who met with the clowns.
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