Simply Sayin' is an app that I use frequently in my role as a Child Life Specialist for a multitude of situations. I really appreciate that this is an app that was developed by the child life team at Phoenix Children's Hospital, meaning it was made by Child Life Specialists for Child Life Specialists! So here are my pros and cons for use of this app in child life practice.
Pros: The drawings are really helpful. I use them a lot of the time to show kids their internal organs to improve medical understanding and help resolve misconceptions. What is super great about the drawings part is that you can actually draw on top of the picture. I also frequently utilize the glossary and prep sections to help me prior to having a conversation with a patient/sibling. The prep section I find to be really helpful to me when I haven't done a preparation for a certain procedure before. It helps me get a general idea and then I can fill with information I gather from nursing and physician staff as to how it is done here. I don't utilize them during an actual preparation because it's important to adapt for the situation and a patients developmental level.
Cons: The biggest drawback that I have with this app is that there are pre-set pictures. The pictures are very great in showing kids what the machines or tools look like at Phoenix Children's Hospital, but that is entirely different from what they will find at my current hospital. Instead I have taken pictures of the different rooms/machines and then have to exit out of the app to show them what they will actually see here. I also really wish that there was a way to print off the pictures and information. In order to utilize the really helpful features I have to have the iPad with me. Sometimes I can't bring it with me or I've been thrown into something and don't have it with me right away. If there was a booklet that had the pictures in a hard copy form I would buy it in a heartbeat.
Have you used Simply Sayin' before? What are some other apps that you find helpful in your child life practice?
-K
Comments