Clinical trial NCT00001816: The Impact of Starbright World on Children Being Treated at the NIH
Official title: The Impact of Starbright World on Children Being Treated at the NIH
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Child, Hospitalized
Keywords: Anger
Loneliness
Mood
Psychosocial
Virtual Network
Lead sponsor: National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC)
Sponsor class: NIH
First posted: 2002-12-10
Enrollment: 35
Sex: ALL
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary: This study seeks to evaluate the impact of Starbright World (SBW) on hospitalized children. SBW is a virtual environment designed to link seriously ill children into an interactive online community where they can play games, learn about their condition, or talk with other ill children who are connected to the network. Our outcome evaluation of SBW will include assessments of pain, mood (anxious, depressed and energetic), anger, loneliness, and willingness to return to the NIH for treatment of children who are being treated at NIH. They will be assessed while engaging in "normal" recreational activities (in one of two available playrooms) and while using Starbright World. In addition, we will conduct a process evaluation of the implementation of Starbright World.

Detailed description: This study seeks to evaluate the impact of Starbright World (SBW) on hospitalized children. SBW is a virtual environment designed to link seriously ill children into an interactive online community where they can play games, learn about their condition, or talk with other ill children who are connected to the network. Our outcome evaluation of SBW will include assessments of pain, mood (anxious, depressed and energetic), anger, loneliness, and willingness to return to the NIH for treatment of children who are being treated at the NIH. They will be assessed while engaging in "normal" recreational activities (in one of two available playrooms) and while using Starbright World. In addition, we will conduct a process evaluation of the implementation of Starbright World.

Eligibility criteria: Children between the ages of 8 and 21.

Currently on active protocol at NIH.

Access to playrooms on the 9th, 11th, 13th, and 14th floors.

Ability to read and understand English.

No presence of mental illness.

Ability to understand and/or perform tasks involved in using Starbright World.

Primary outcomes:
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Bethesda
country: United States
facility: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
state: Maryland
Study officials:
References:
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citation: Brennan PF, Moore SM, Smyth KA. The effects of a special computer network on caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease. Nurs Res. 1995 May-Jun;44(3):166-72.
citation: Izenberg N, Lieberman DA. The Web, communication trends, and children's health. Part 4: How children use the Web. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 1998 Jun;37(6):335-40. doi: 10.1177/000992289803700601.