Therapeutic play in the teaching of insulin therapy to children with diabetes: a qualitative case study

Abstract

To describe the expressions presented by children with type 1 diabetes who participated in a session on insulin therapy using the instructional therapeutic play (ITP). This is a qualitative case study in which inductive thematic analysis was conducted at a diabetes camp in 2014, and two school-aged children participated in an ITP session. The results revealed that children of the studied age group have difficulty mastering insulin therapy and need continued efforts to adapt cognitively to insulin therapy. The ITP session provided insight into the children's prior knowledge and their learning needs regarding the insulin storage and insulin injection technique using age-appropriate language such as playing. The ITP helped to identify educational needs and the involved care. The use of ITP strengthens the potential of play-based strategies to promote self-care related to insulin therapy in children with diabetes.