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A handheld, portable gaming console designed in Australia to help children undergoing stressful medical treatments is making its debut in the United States.
Diversionary Therapy Technologies of Toowong, Australia, has announced that the UMC Health System in Lubbock, Texas, will use the “ditto” in its UMC Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, which treats approximately 2,000 young patients each year.
With help from Professor Roy Kimble of the Royal Children’s Hospital’s Stuart Pegg Paediatric Burns and Trauma Service in Brisbane, DTT worked for six years to develop the ditto, a handheld, waterproof device that combines games and education and is designed for use before and during painful medical procedures for children between the ages of 3 and 14.
“We strive to provide our patients with very good care. But hospitals can still be stressful, especially for pediatric patients,” said Tammy Williams, UMC’s senior vice president for hospital services, in a press release. "With ditto, pediatric patients can play, relax and learn about their procedures while letting kids do what they do best – be kids.”
According to DTT officials, the stress and anxiety that accompanies a medical procedure can best be eased if the child’s mind is occupied. By combining games with educational tools, they said, the ditto helps the child through a stressful procedure while also offering opportunities for the child to learn more about his or her procedure.
The ditto was launched in Europe and Asia in 2010.
“The ditto is a powerful tool to ease pre-procedural anxiety or anxiety-related stress in children due to painful medical procedures,” said DTT President Rob Sale. “We are pleased that the team at UMC will be using this groundbreaking, proven technology to improve the level of care for its pediatric patients.”
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