Going to the doctor can be scary. Abby Hess knows this well. She is a nurse in Ohio. “I help kids get ready for surgery,” she said. Doctors use for many of these operations. They put patients to sleep with medicine. “Many young patients become when an anesthesia mask is placed over their face,” Hess explained. “I wanted to help kids feel calmer.” So, Hess came up with a video game!
Hess’s game is called EZ Induction. Young patients at the hospital learn how to play it before surgery. They get gaming on a tablet. But they don’t toggle knobs on a controller. They move cartoon animals by taking deep breaths!
Some types of anesthesia use gas to put patients to sleep. So the gaming controller is a breathing mask! “The child puts on the mask,” Hess said. Then, the patient breathes in and out. “They encounter challenges,” she added. One is blowing up balloons. Another is “helping an elephant fly in a hot air balloon.”
Hess is already using the game with her patients. She hopes to get other hospitals to follow her lead. After all, the game is helping kids in Ohio! “Taking breaths can help you feel relaxed,” Hess said. “The game shifts the focus from something scary to something that’s fun.”
“I never imagined I’d get to create a video game!” Hess shared. She teamed up with designers and computer programmers. The nurse also said that working with kids inspired her. “Kids are great at using their to solve problems!”
Hess learned from her journey. And she had some advice. “Keep using your imagination,” she said. “There are many problems that need solutions,” the nurse added. “Your ideas and can make the world a better place!”
Updated April 27, 2023, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By Alexa Tirapelli
