How to set up an “AMBULATING TEDDYBEAR HOSPITAL”:

PREPARATIONS

This is what you need:

• At least 1 pre-school with children ages 3-7. Call nearby pre-schools and
explain the purpose of the TBH and ask them if they would like you to come on
WHD. Instruct the teachers to tell the children to bring teddybears, dolls or stuffed
animals on WHD and to think of an illness beforehand.
• Training for your teddybear doctors. Call the head of pediatrics at your faculty
and ask if they can provide you with a lecture on how to examine and talk to children.
• Hospital material. Again ask the head pediatrics if he/she has contacts at the
pediatrics ward at your hospital from whom you could ask for material (robes,
stethoscopes, band-aids, bandages… all kinds of non-invasive examination material).
• Teaching material. Ask the head of anatomy at your facoulty if it is possible to
borrow anatomy models, such as craniums, hearts…
• Print out record templates to fill out and for the children to take home
• Register your activity at www.who.int/world-health-
day/2003/activities/en/ (?) or contact Ffelix if problems with
registering: lorange@fs.tum.de

AT PRE-SCHOOL

This is how we have done it, ofcourse feel free to adapt to your own situation.

• Begin with gathering the children in a circle on the floor. Tell them a little
bit about yourselves and start asking them if they know anything about
hospitals, maybe some of them has some hospital experience.
• I usually talk to them about the heart (use anatonomy models) and of the
way of the food through the body.
Since the theme for this year is “helthy environment for children”, a good
thing would be as Victoria suggested to talk about recycling as well.
• Now begin examining the teddybears. Try to have the examination-room
separately to eliminate distraction. Conduct the examinatino as a regular
visit at the doctors, asking about anamnesis and symptoms, local
examination, treating (non-invasive), ordinating, filling out the record (for
the child to take home) and finally asking the teddybear´s parent (the
child) if he/she wants to ask you anything more. It shouldn´t take more
than 7-8 minutes.
• Gather everyone again before you go and ask if there are any more
questions.
 • Leave a questionnaire for the teachers to fill out and send to you later.

If the group is very big you can devide it and do the examinations and the
teaching parallelly. Of course the content of the teaching should vary according
to age.

AFTER

• Do a small report and send to ifmsa-scoph@yahoogroups.com 

• Feel good about yourself!

Any questions:
Monica Prieto, NPO Sweden
npo@ifmsa-sweden.org