Hospital da Luz Coimbra joined, once again, Hospital do Ursinho, on its 15th edition, which took place between 16 and 21 October, at Fórum Coimbra. Overall, around 3500 children participated, in school visits and with families. Hospital do Ursinho is an emblematic initiative by the Medicine Students Centre of Associação Académica de Coimbra (NEM/AAC) and it consists in the simulation of a real hospital in line with the child imagery, including consulting rooms, operating room and similar infrastructures, but at the scale of small children, viewing to demystify the “fear of white coats”. Therefore, consultations are staged, where the child takes the role of father/mother who takes his teddy bear to the doctor, this one being represented by the student of Medicine. The purpose is to fight fear of hospitals, white coats, stethoscopes and syringes, and to bring the child closer to the physician, promoting higher confidence in health professionals in general and wider collaboration in future consultation. In this special hospital, during the treatment of “pain”, “sores” and “fractures” of the teddy bears brought by children, some simple medical acts were simulated, such as vaccines, X-ray, CAT, analyses and even operating room interventions, with coats, gloves and oxygen masks. Then, in dentistry, children were alerted to a good oral hygiene. In pharmacy, hugs and kisses were prescribed, simulating medication. Hospital do Ursinho, in Coimbra, organized since 2003 by NEM/AAC, involved the participation of 230 students of the Medicine Faculty, Universidade de Coimbra – in addition to students of Dental Medicine, Pharmacy and Psychology Faculties, as well as Escola Superior de Enfermagem (Higher School of Nursing). During six days, they all wore the white coat of doctor and ensured work in the consulting rooms.
