Preparing Children for the Hospital Experience
Pediatric ER, Anxiety Reduction & Child Agency
The Challenge
Children arriving at the pediatric ER can be frightened, overwhelmed, and unsure what will happen next. Waiting rooms, triage, vital signs, unfamiliar staff, equipment, masks, needles, imaging, and treatment rooms can all feel disconnected and scary.
One option could be a QR-code experience that families open at reception, with the child choosing to play as the patient, parent, or doctor. Medical clowns and family navigators already help, but they are limited by time and availability.
The Big Idea
Can a child explore the hospital journey as a game before or during the visit, gaining familiarity and a sense of control?
What a Jam Prototype Could Be
- A short adventure that begins with a reception QR code and maps the child through triage, waiting, exam, imaging, treatment, and discharge.
- A role-switching mode where the child can play as patient, parent, or doctor to create emotional distance and agency.
- Mini-games for waiting, vital signs, examination, imaging, or treatment steps, each designed to preview what will happen without promising a specific clinical path.
- A parent-facing companion prompt that gives caregivers simple language for the next step.
Design Questions
- What should a preschool child understand differently from an elementary-school child?
- How can the experience stay calming rather than overstimulating?
- Can the game help parents explain what is happening without increasing stress?
- Which hospital steps are generic enough to represent safely?
What This Is Not
- Not a diagnosis tool, treatment order, or replacement for clinical judgment.
- Not a place to use identifiable patient data.
- Not expected to be a finished hospital product after 30 hours.
Why This Matters
If the unknown becomes a playable map, children may cooperate more easily and families may experience the hospital as less frightening.