This afternoon I had a bit of an unfortunate run-in with a few colleagues at the hospital. I'll admit I was in a bit of a frenzy because I was trolling the hospital in search of a missing/runaway teenage patient, but I am an avid mirror checker (the round ones at the end of all hospital hallways). I am 100% sure I looked before 
turning because I noticed a toddler with his mom pulling his IV. I did not, however, see the pack of clowns on roller skates that eventually plowed into me! A split second before the whole tangled wheel fiasco, the sight of them alone and the realization they were.................... CLOWNS made me gasp in fear. Clown roller skates apparently do not have brakes so after one clown collided into a wall, the rest sort of piled on him. It was a gallant and much appreciated effort to avoid me and the poor toddler! Quite the unfortunate scene but they took it a little too well and began honking their horns and laughing hysterically. After ensuring all clown parts were intact, I promptly departed as speedily as possible. I'm sad to report that my newfound toddler friend didn't recover as quickly. As I left, I could hear him screaming in terror.
I can relate. I remember catching a glimpse of those rainbow pants or hearing the hallmark honk and asking my mom to shut my hospital door. Not that I needed intellectual humor at the age of 8, but I just never got clowns. They're confusing! I still don't understand the amusement factor in clowns with sad face paint, especially if they laugh hyenas. In my field, we'd call that incongruent affect! Maybe it's my generation (and the ones after mine) that just missed the boat on the clown craze. Researchers in Britain would agree with my theory. The University of Sheffield asked 250 kids between the ages of 4 and 16 about a hospital's decor that centered on the theme of clowns. According to reports, ALL 250 kids expressed dislike of the clown images. With the power of those results, perhaps I should consider focusing my own dissertation on clowns! That's a fairly resounding consensus: Kids don't like clowns!
According to child psychologists who have commented on this study, children are "unfamiliar with clowns because they come from a different era." Children didn't think clowns looked funny and even the adolescents found them "scary". If the statistics (100% agreement) from this study weren't impressive enough for researchers, the hospital's actual use of their findings is certainly a positive contribution beyond the scope of clowns. The hospital where the study focused has decided to consult their young patients on the facility's design and decor. Children and adolescents have expressed that color is important to their healing and they would prefer images that focus on people and characters relevant to their time, age, and culture. In the end, it's not a battle between Bozo and Dora. It's about adults avoiding the pitfall of surrounding young people with images that we relate to without considering the child's perspective.
Just because I'm in an inquisitive mood tonight....
If your hospital asked for your input, what decor and design would best support your healing process? If you spent time in the hospital as a child, what would you have liked then?
