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THE 2022 FESTIVAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE
22 October - 13 November
FoSS and ESRC logos

Managing medical monsters: reducing medical anxiety through play and gamification

Using gamification and play to reduce anxiety related to patient medical appointments and hospital admissions

Hospital waiting room

What’s on offer?

A workshop to explore play and gamification strategies to reduce patient (children) anxiety around medical appointments and admissions. Featuring specially designed sessions of Jenga, LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® and virtual reality experiences, to explore and address personal anxieties around medical appointments.

What’s it about?

Anxiety around medical appointments and admissions can affect people in different ways, from causing distress and worry through to preventing people seeking the medical help they need. Evidence shows that structured play can empower people to discuss and examine their feelings, to help understand and address them. Virtual reality can help ease anxiety through providing an immersive distraction, or by creating a virtual 'practice run' for appointments. In this session, you'll be able to experience all of these, led by expert facilitators to learn new techniques.

Participants will receive a bag of LEGO® and a google cardboard headset to use for the activities, which can be kept and taken away.

Please note, this is an opportunity to explore new techniques for managing mild anxiety, this is not a medical or psychiatric intervention or treatment.

Who’s leading the event?

Dr Holly Henderson, Lecturer and LEGO Serious Play facilitator

Dr Heidi Singleton, Lecturer In Children and Young Peoples Nursing

Professor Debbie Holley, Professor Of Learning Innovation

Open to

Young people (not young children) and adults

Of particular interest to

Anyone who experiences anxiety around medical settings