NCT06922032

A Novel Auditory Application for Distraction in Pediatric Patients

A Novel Auditory Application for Distraction in Pediatric Patients: A Pilot Feasibility and Acceptability Study

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 20 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Stanford University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 4 Years – 17 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This mixed-methods study seeks to evaluate the feasibility of Mystic Pets software and hardware within the pediatric population. This study will take place at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital (Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA).

Detailed description

Hospitalized children often experience emotional distress related to medical procedures, unfamiliar environments, and limited control over their situations. Existing distraction techniques, such as traditional videos and gaming, often rely heavily on visual interfaces, which can be limiting in clinical contexts. Current immersive technology software and hardware for procedural distraction rely on partial to complete immersion in a computer-generated environment to the real world. While immersive technology can reduce emotional distress with distraction, some patients experience increased distress due to loss of visual connection with their surroundings and/or caregivers. Using a head-mounted device and hand-gesture inputs, Mystic Pets maintains visual contact with a person's surroundings while gameplay is advanced through audio input and hand-gestures. This research will significantly contribute to the growing field of digital therapeutics by providing early-stage data on a novel, immersive technology tailored to pediatric clinical care. If proven feasible, Mystic Pets could expand the toolkit available for procedural distraction, enhance patient comfort, and reduce the reliance on pharmacological interventions for emotion distress management. The study also aims to establish preliminary engagement and usability benchmarks to guide future development and deployment of similar technologies in hospital environments.

Conditions

• Emotional Distress

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Mystics Pet	Participants will receive the game intervention and be instructed to wear a Oculus Quest 2 headset (Meta, Inc., Menlo Park, CA) and participate in Mystic Pets software game (Stanford Chariot Program, Palo Alto, CA) that is specifically designed to promote overall distraction and emotional distress reduction.

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-05-01
• Primary completion: 2027-04-30
• Completion: 2027-04-30
• First posted: 2025-04-10
• Last updated: 2026-03-23

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States