Teddy Bear Hospital

“If You Go into the Wards Today …”

This week, children from three local schools in Cork brought their teddy bears to CUH’s new outpatient paediatric department. These junior doctors were giving their cuddly patients a check up at our Teddy Bear Hospital.

Organised by Cork University Hospital, the INFANT Centre and UCC’s Medical Society, the Teddy Bear Hospital introduces children to medical instruments and procedures in a fun learning environment. After an initial consultation with their brave teddy, the children decided on a treatment with the help of specialist CUH nurses, INFANT researchers and student doctors from UCC’s Medical Society.

Introducing Children to Doctors

Prof. Jonathan Hourihane, Professor of Paediatrics at CUH and Principal Investigator at INFANT, explained why the Teddy Bear Hospital was such a success:

“The aim of the Teddy Bear Hospital is to introduce children to doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals in the hospital, through the eyes of their teddy. This is done in a friendly and entertaining way so they will have a better idea of what to expect if they ever need to visit to the hospital, or will have helped them adjust to experiences they may have already had here or elsewhere. It’s also important for them to see that we do research in the hospital to develop new treatments and improve care for patients. We are delighted to be opening the new outpatient department and research centre space in this way and we thank the schools for engaging so positively.”

Doctors Fur a Day

Our thanks to the junior classes of Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh (Caliíní), Sunday’s Well NS and St. John The Apostle Boys NS. Everyone was a bit tired going back to school and work, but it was all for a worthy paws.