ChildControls.com - Keeping one step ahead!

At the Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore, Maryland, young patients are finding hospital visits easier to deal with, thanks to a test program called the Hospital-based Online Pediatric Environment (HOPE).

Patients in HOPE have a life-threatening condition where their kidneys no longer filter wastes from their blood. To get their blood cleaned, these kids must be hooked up to dialysis (pronounced dye-AL-uh-sis) machines at the hospital three times a week, for at least three hours each time. HOPE allows kids to play online sports, racing, and adventure games with each other. Eventually they will be able to connect with kids in other hospitals who are undergoing the same procedure.

Many researchers elsewhere are testing video programs that might help young patients. For example, nine-year-old Ben Duskin of San Francisco, California, who was struggling with cancer helped to design a video game where players get rid of cancer cells.

That's all great news, because doctors already know that reducing pain and worry helps patients heal faster!

(Adapted from National Geographic News )