Instead of reading, you could also just listen …
Your examination room is their dungeon. Where is here the parallel?
The first step of torture in medieval time was to drag the victim into an unfamiliar room.
The second step of torture was to take away the victim’s liberty to go whenever they want.
The third step of torture was to just show them the instruments for pain.
Only authorized access
Have you ever been to a place where a sign said, “Authorized persons only”? Have you ever wondered what kind of world lies behind that denied access?
Unknown places trigger either curiosity or fear. When they come to the hospital, the child knows that something will happen, but they have no idea what that might be.
Hospitals can be scary places as well
Every day, I enter any hospital with a sense of routine. I “understand” the place, the operation theatre or recovery area are natural habitats for me. The sensation is entirely different for patients in contrast to my experience, and this is true for adults, and children alike.
Whereas adults might have some experience and acceptance of the environment, to any child the sheer amount of new impressions are close to overwhelming. All senses are intensely stimulated with directions and (warning)signs, sounds of cleaning machines or beeper sounds and smells of disinfectant. With this tension, together with the anticipation of something unusual happening, any child will be on high alert.
Coming to the hospital as a child
Entering the hospital, children will have the same level of anticipated danger than going into a dungeon. Additionally, all non-verbal signs of the parent will communicate tension, so the child gets even more afraid about what is going to come.
What you see triggers what you feel
Neuroscience allows us to understand that for some basic form of “torture” we don’t even need to touch the victim. If we show an array of instruments, this would be sufficient to trigger fear. Our brain will be tricked by the sheer sight of equipment to produce various negative ideas. They will circle how painful the coming event will be. This “imaginary” pain triggers responses in the same area of the brain as “real” pain would. The sight triggers the experience in the brain by itself.
Into the dungeon
In essence, the moment when a child enters an examination room is not that different to entering a dungeon:
* no freedom to leave when they want to
* no say over the next steps
* and frequently some unfamiliar instruments on display
And in the middle of all of this are we doctors, as strangers, and we want the child to trust us and to cooperate …
In a nutshell:
Your examination room is their dungeon.
Nobody makes friends in a dungeon.
Nobody likes surprises in a dungeon.
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