Inpatient Care Team Views on Child Life Services: A Scoping Review.

Context: The utilization of Child Life Services is influenced by interprofessional collaboration and perceptions of other members of the medical team.

Objectives: To summarize studies which address pediatric health care team perspectives on Child Life Services and their utilization in the hospital setting.

Data Sources: A comprehensive literature search was conducted with controlled vocabularies and key terms in MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and Web of Science.

Study Selection: Primary studies published before November 2021 were screened using a predetermined set of inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Data Charting: Data charting was performed by 2 independent reviewers. Data extracted include baseline study characteristics, common themes, main outcomes, strengths, and limitations. Because this is not a systematic review, data from included studies was not quantitatively analyzed, but carefully summarized in the manner of a standard scoping review.

Results: Nine studies met criteria for inclusion. Common qualitative themes on certified child life specialists include: (1) their broad responsibilities, (2) their positive impact on patients and families, (3) challenges with interprofessional collaboration and integration, and (4) the value of educating others on their roles and responsibilities.

Conclusions: Medical subject headings, controlled vocabulary, or other standardized subject headings that index literature on Child Life Services is limited. However, the existing body of literature supports the positive impact certified child life specialists have on patients and families, despite challenges with complete integration into the interdisciplinary care team. Additional research is required to fully understand and overcome these challenges in continued efforts to further drive patient and family-centered care.