The objective of this study was to understand, from the perspective of health professionals, the meaning of playing/toys in the waiting room of a children's outpatient clinic. Semi-structured interviews were performed with 11 workers. A quantitative analysis of the data was performed around two themes: acknowledging the importance of playing/toys and dealing with limitations. Playing is seen as a care strategy towards children, as it alleviates the waiting time in this environment, changes behavior in a positive way, and values the children's development process, besides improving the communication and interaction with health professionals. It is, however, necessary for the hospital to have adequate physical structure, allied to the health professionals and to the management team, which are sensitive regarding the inclusion of new care strategies, such as playing, with a view to humanize children's health care.
Child; Ambulatory care; Play and playthings; Health personnel; Pediatric nursing