Decorating children's wards with images of clowns is likely to frighten young patients, research at Sheffield University has found.
A survey of more than 250 children aged between four and 16 found all of them disliked clowns as part of hospital decor, with even the oldest children finding them scary, Nursing Standard magazine reported.
The University of Sheffield polled the children for the Space to Care study, which aimed at improving hospital design for children.
Penny Curtis, a senior lecturer in research at the university, said:
"As adults we make assumptions about what works for children.
"We found that clowns are universally disliked by children. Some found them frightening and unknowable."
Rather than clowns children wamt colourful spaces and references to contemporary culture, Curtis said, adding that it is important that young people are consulted over the design or change of hospital environments.
Marjorie Gillies, a senior nurse at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow, said:
"We found that having clowns and decorations everywhere is too much. We have gone back to plain walls with areas decorated appropriately."
Read more about the study on the Sheffield University website: Space to care - Children's Perceptions of Spatial Aspects of HospitalsUniversity News Home