Focus on Pediatrics-Techno touching breaks isolation restrictions
Interactive teaching enhances learning
When the Zoo Mobile visits Children's Hospital in New Orleans, the kids in isolation are no longer out of the loop. They get to see the animals and listen to the stories the zookeeper tells about each species. The connection is made with the aid of Starbright World, a private and secure interactive computer network designed for hospitalized children.
This videoconferencing capability not only makes it possible for children in isolation to participate in activities with kids on other units; kids at other hospitals across the nation can take part too, as long as they are connected to Starbright World. The computer network has a variety of communication choices in addition to videoconferencing. These include audio and text chat spaces, bulletin boards, and e-mail.
This means of communication makes it possible for children to learn from their peers. For example, children who have already gone through a particular procedure, such as a magnetic resonance imaging procedure, are able to ease the fears and anxiety of their peers by sharing what the experience was like for them.
"We are finding that it is really empowering for the kids. The children in the hospitals are sad, lonely, and withdrawn. They sometimes experience a lot of anxiety, so the program is really geared to addressing all of those different aspects and it allows them to connect with other kids who face similar challenges so they recognize they are not alone," says Jordana Rene Huchital, director of healthcare initiatives for the Starbright Foundation in Los Angeles.
Children's Hospital finds that the videoconferencing capabilities of Starbright World provide an easy way to include children in isolation, and the hospital uses it frequently. The system often allows these children to participate in activities held in the playroom.
"The videoconferencing helps out a lot, especially with the kids in isolation. They don't feel like they are out of touch," says Kim Leaumont, Starbright coordinator for Children's Hospital.
The child life specialist at Children's Hospital is frequently able to use Starbright for educational purposes because the system has a series of interactive programs that teach children and their families about medical procedures and conditions.
One morning, the Starbright program Medical Imaging: Welcome to the Radiology Center was used as part of a playroom activity called X-Ray Fun Day. The children looked at X-rays, discussed bones, and used the Starbright program to learn about having an X-ray. They finished the activity by making casts. The specialist also teaches children individually with the interactive programs.
The other interactive educational topics cover IVs, blood tests, bone marrow aspiration and biopsy, spinal taps, and cystic fibrosis. These programs will be available on CD-ROM in the fall of 1999.
Corporate sponsors who provided in-kind donations, such as Shawnee Mission, KS-based Sprint and Santa Clara, CA-based Intel Corporation, have helped Starbright keep down costs to health care organizations. The cost for Starbright World is $24,000 for the first year of use and $15,000 for subsequent years. The fee includes five high-end computers for the system, maintenance and support of the network, and staff training.
When hospitals don't have money in their budget for the Starbright system, its foundation works with the hospital to identify a local donor who might want to cover the cost. At Children's Hospital in New Orleans, for example, the system is funded by the local chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women.
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