Nursing technicians’ perceptions about the use of play and playfulness in professional practices

Objective: To understand nursing technicians’ perceptions in a pediatric inpatient unit regarding the use of play and playfulness in their professional practices. Method: An exploratory study with a qualitative approach, supported by the Symbolic Interactionism theoretical framework, developed in a pediatric unit of a university hospital in the countryside of São Paulo. Data collection took place from March to December 2024, through semi-structured interviews, with 14 participants. Reflective thematic analysis supported data assessment. Results: The topics “Purposes of adopting play and playfulness” and “Determinants of adopting play and playfulness” revealed that nursing technicians link resources with the execution of technical procedures and formation of bonds. However, they highlighted a context that was not very supportive of this use and that led to the meaning that these resources were other professionals’ responsibility. Conclusion: The use of play and playfulness predominated for the execution of procedures, with a secondary, informal, voluntary and non-institutionalized place in nursing care for children.