Introduction:

The hospitalized child experiences a process of suffering, anguish, pain and fear in relation to the unknown, represented by the new environment and the health team that performs the therapeutic procedures. Playfulness is one of the methods that contributes to facilitate and humanize pediatric care.

Objective:

To understand the perception of parents or guardians about the hospital playroom as a therapeutic resource.

Methods:

Research with a qualitative approach. Fifteen parents or guardians of children hospitalized in a reference institution for pediatric care participated. Data collection took place through interviews from a semi-structured script with questions relevant to the proposed objective. Lawrence Bardin's framework was used to analyze the content of the statements.

Results:

Parents and guardians perceived the hospital playroom as a strategy that reduces tensions, increases self-esteem and autonomy, enables a greater sense of security in the little ones, which contributes to greater adherence to treatment and consequent health recovery. The analyzed contents could be organized in three thematic axes: Occupation of the hospitalization time, Playing allows the bond between parents and children and Playing as a supporting therapy in child recovery.

Conclusion:

The hospital playroom has a therapeutic dimension recognized by parents and guardians in children's hospitalization. Managers and professionals must invest in their expansion and in the continuing education of the teams for their full use.

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