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Helping Kids Swallow Pills

Pediatric Oncology & Medication Adherence

Advising Clinician Michal Singer Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Nurse, Sheba

The Challenge

For many children, swallowing pills is genuinely hard. For children with cancer, it's often unavoidable.

In pediatric oncology and other chronic conditions:

  • Medications must be taken regularly and on time
  • Missing doses can reduce effectiveness or compromise treatment
  • Fear, anxiety, gag reflex, or past bad experiences can derail adherence
  • Caregivers are under constant stress trying to ensure compliance

This is not a willpower problem. It's a fear, skill, confidence, and habit problem, repeated many times a day.

Clinicians and families need better tools to:

  • Help kids learn how to swallow pills
  • Reduce anxiety around the act
  • Confirm that the medication was actually taken
  • Reward success in a healthy, motivating way

The Big Idea

Games are exceptionally good at:

  • Teaching physical skills gradually
  • Reducing fear through repetition and control
  • Turning stressful tasks into achievable challenges
  • Reinforcing habits through reward and progress
  • Making invisible success visible

This challenge asks: Can a thoughtfully designed game help children feel confident swallowing pills, and help caregivers trust that it happened?

Core Design Questions

Teams are encouraged to explore one or more of these questions:

1. Skill & Confidence Building

How might a game:

  • Teach pill-swallowing as a learnable skill?
  • Break the act into manageable steps?
  • Help children practice calmly and safely?
  • Replace fear with familiarity and control?

Examples might include:

  • Gradual progression (small → medium → pill-like)
  • Breathing, posture, timing mechanics
  • Visual metaphors that normalize the process
  • Practice modes separate from real medication

2. Motivation & Willingness

How can gameplay:

  • Reduce resistance at pill time?
  • Shift control from "being forced" to "choosing to engage"?
  • Create anticipation instead of dread?

Examples:

  • Unlocking game time or in-game items
  • Progression systems tied to consistency
  • Calm narratives that frame pill-taking as empowerment
  • Personalization to a child's interests

3. Verification & Trust (Optional, Exploratory)

In some settings, it's important to know that the pill was actually taken.

Teams may explore conceptually (no clinical claims required):

  • Computer vision confirmation
  • Gesture-based or action-based verification
  • Sensor or interaction metaphors
  • Caregiver-assisted confirmation loops

Accuracy is less important than designing trust-aware workflows that respect privacy, dignity, and feasibility. Mocked or simulated approaches are completely acceptable.

Reward Systems

Instead of external treats or pressure, consider:

  • Gameplay access
  • Cosmetic rewards
  • Collection or progression
  • Narrative advancement
  • Customization or creative expression

Rewards should:

  • Be proportional
  • Be predictable
  • Avoid overstimulation
  • Support long-term habit formation

Design Considerations for Pediatric Oncology

Important constraints:

  • Children may be fatigued, anxious, or nauseous
  • Experiences should be calm and respectful
  • No shaming, punishment, or negative framing
  • Clear structure and cause-and-effect
  • Adjustable sensory intensity (sound, motion, color)

This is about support, not coercion.

Jam Scope & Expectations

  • Simple concepts are encouraged
  • Mock data and simulated verification are fine
  • Focus on one age range or scenario
  • Emphasize emotional experience over technical novelty
  • Clinical insight > technical polish

What This Is Not

  • Not a medical device
  • Not replacing caregivers or clinicians
  • Not enforcing compliance through pressure
  • Not a surveillance system

The goal is to reduce friction, fear, and stress, for kids and families alike.

Extra Points For...

  • Designs that reduce anxiety around pill-taking
  • Thoughtful, child-respecting verification concepts
  • Reward systems that promote consistency, not pressure
  • Clear caregiver/clinician control and visibility

Why This Matters

For many families, pill time is one of the hardest moments of the day.

This challenge asks:

What if swallowing medicine felt achievable, even empowering, instead of frightening?

It's an opportunity to apply game design to a deeply human, high-stakes problem where small improvements can have outsized impact on outcomes, trust, and quality of life.

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