Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences Biomedical Multimedia Unit

Going to Hospital

Finding out that a child needs an operation is often a stressful time for family and parents. The hospitalisation process need not be frightening. The right preparation can instead make the experience positive and rewarding for both parents and children.

The aim of this children's computer game is twofold: Firstly to demystify the hospitalisation process and secondly to teach children coping strategies that will assist them to deal with anxiety producing situations encountered while in hospital.

This CD-ROM package has been designed to be used jointly by parents and children. The package is a fun and interactive way of preparing a family for their child's hospitalisation. The parent and child work together as a team to practice the skills taught via the CD before going to hospital.

Project Screen Grabs

Click on the thumbnail to view a larger image.

Title screen   The colourful illustrations and "plasticine" interface of this program were design to appeal to children.
   
Help screen  

This "help" screen explains how to find your way around the program.
   
Introduction screen  

The introduction screen talks about some common anxieties for children facing hospitalisation.

     
Interactive game  

This program contains many interactive games and tasks that help to familiarise children with a wide range of hospital procedures and staff.
     
Colourful and engaging illustrations   Many colourful and engaging illustrations were developed for this project. This example is found in a section describing relaxation and visualisation.
     
Quicktime VR   Quicktime VR was used to give the children a virtual view of many areas of the hospital.

Credits

Developed by the Biomedical Multimedia Unit in association with the School of Nursing, The University of Melbourne.

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