Research

Evidence-Based Practice

In 2011, the Dream Doctors Project’s First International Conference on Medicine and Medical Clowning was held in Jerusalem. We hosted 250 guests from 22 countries, including medical clowns, representatives of medical clowning associations from around the world, physicians and nurses. Several medical studies on the issue of medical clowning were presented, making it clear that there was a need for additional scientific studies to build an evidence-based foundation for medical clowns’ contribution to patient well-being and health. Consequently, the Conference resolved to establish a Scientific Research Fund to provide grants each year for research on medical clowning. The Fund is overseen by the Scientific Committee, which is made up of 5 members. Prof. Arthur Eidelman currently serves as the chairman and is joined by Prof. Annick Raas-Rothschild, Dr. Yitzhak Berlovich, Prof. Myriam Ben Arush, and the founder of the Dream Doctors Project, Yaacov Shriqui. To date this fund has supported over 30 research studies on various topics in the field of medical clowning, many of which have been published and presented at international conferences.

Published studies sponsored by the Dream Doctors Research Fund can be found at the links below:

• Intervention of Medical (Therapeutic) Clowns in a Kindergarten for Children with Intellectual Disability: A Case Study – 2018
• The effect of medical clowns on performance of spirometry among preschool aged children – 2018
• Disaster Zones – Should We Be Clowning Around? – 2018
• Assistance of Medical Clowns Improves the Physical Examinations of Children Aged 2–6 Years – 2017
• A cross-cultural perspective of medical clowning: comparison of its effectiveness in reducing pain and anxiety among hospitalized Bedouin and Jewish Israeli children – 2017
• Fear of clowns in hospitalized children: prospective experience – 2017
• Clown-care reduces pain in children with cerebral palsy undergoing recurrent botulinum toxin injections- A quasi-randomized controlled crossover study – 2017
• Medical Clowns and Cortisol levels in Children Undergoing Venipuncture in the Emergency Department: A Pilot Study – 2016
• Medical clowns reduce pre-operative anxiety, post-operative pain and medical costs in children undergoing outpatient penile surgery: A randomised controlled trial – 2016
• Dream Doctor Intervention Instead of Sedation: Performing Radionuclide Scanning Without Sedation in Young Children: A Study in 142 Patient – 2016
• The Therapy Beneath the Fun: Medical Clowning During Invasive Examinations on Children – 2016
• Seriously clowning: Medical clowning interaction with children undergoing invasive examinations in hospitals – 2016
• The effect of medical clowning on reducing pain, crying, and anxiety in children aged 2-10 years old undergoing venous blood drawing–a randomized controlled study – 2016
• Medical Clowns Facilitate Nitrous Oxide Sedation during Intra-Articular Corticosteroid Injection for Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis – 2014
• Medical clowns ease anxiety and pain perceived by children undergoing allergy prick skin tests – 2014
• The effect of a medical clown on pain during intravenous access in the pediatric emergency department: a randomized prospective pilot study – 2013
• The Use of Medical Clowns as a Psychological Distress Buffer During Anogenital Examination of Sexually Abused Children – 2012
• The effect of medical clowning on pregnancy rates after in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) – 2011