This study examines and analyzes the limits and possibilities of the promoting play in hospitals. This investigation can contribute to the collective health field, as discussions about the views of healthcare practitioners on promoting play in hospitals may well influence the development of new childcare models. This discussion is grounded on a qualitative approach to the dynamics of relationships and the role of play in a hospital setting. Drawn from interviews with 33 practitioners from three hospitals located in different parts of Brazil, the data analysis is based on linking up issues that emerge from their comments, together with theoretical references. In terms of findings, the acknowledgment of this type of intervention by the institution could facilitate or complicate these actions. The conclusions clearly indicate that assigning play promotion the status of a therapeutic tool within a healthcare environment may subvert the rules and hierarchies of the institution.
Play; Hospitalized children; Healthcare practitioner