The meaning of our acronym
POEMS For Children is a charity based in the UK whose main goal is to train professionals to manage anxious children more effectively.
POEMS is an acronym for Positive Outcome and Experience Management Strategies.
Our Mission
We believe that the number of children affected by procedural anxiety is so high that the only solution is for every practitioner involved in their care is to have a core competency in Anxiety Management.
Every healthcare professional that comes into contact with any child from the moment they step through the hospital doors to discharge, should be able to measurably reduce anxiety and optimise the experience of contact with the healthcare system.
Our History
The Idea of POEMS for children was born by the poolside on a lazy summer holiday in Cyprus over 14 years ago. Today, the POEMS course goes from strength to strength. We have to date trained over 2000 healthcare professionals from all over the world, Toronto to Tasmania, At home we have presented the course all over the UK Feedback has been both humbling and amazing. Some 97.6% of our graduates say the course will improve their management of children and 99% saying they would recommend the course to others.
The POEMS course not only explores the management of children’s procedural anxiety, it also seeks to enhance the manner in which Healthcare teams and individuals caring for children communicate not only with children, parents caregivers and other healthcare professionals, all working synergistically towards a common goal – the optimal patient experience.
The course is well recognised as a source of high quality training in the field of communication and management of perioperative anxiety in children and has been delivered by POEMS For Children as a UK registered charity since 2014.
14 years later it seems that the journey has only just begun. We are navigating through the new territories of ZOOM, video and digital media to provide easy access to POEMS for all, nationally and internationally. High on our list of plans for the future are a lighter, gentler and greener footprint. If you have any Ideas, we would love to hear them.
And of course we continue developing and expanding the POEMS joke book for children, designed by children and childish adults..
Meet the team
The POEMS team is formed of a diverse, experienced and committed group of healthcare professionals from a range of different backgrounds, such as Anesthesia, Nursing, Operating Department Practitioners, Health Care Educators and Simulation experts. Many of us share an interest in hypnotism and hypnotherapy. All are commited to delivering the optimal patient experience and raising awareness of anxiety in all its forms in Paediatrics.
Click herePOEMS course
The POEMS course aims to teach all health professionals to recognise, prevent and manage procedural & perioperative anxiety in children.
Find out more about the course