Acceptability of a Serious Game About Proton Radiotherapy for Children: Feasibility and Pilot Trial

Pediatric radiotherapy is a highly stressful medical procedure that frequently necessitates sedation to manage patient anxiety. To mitigate this fear of the unknown, a web-based serious game was developed to familiarize children aged 5 to 14 with the clinical environment. The primary objective of this pilot randomized controlled trial was to assess the feasibility, usability, and psychological impact of the intervention as a preparation tool for pediatric oncology patients.

The study, conducted in Sweden and published in 2024, successfully recruited 22 participants, representing 85% of those eligible. While the intervention demonstrated consistent engagement with a sample mean playtime of 31 minutes, it narrowly missed specific predefined feasibility thresholds, such as the target for 20 minutes of play and questionnaire return rates. Furthermore, the trial found no significant difference in anxiety levels between the intervention and control groups, indicating that the game did not exacerbate patient distress but failed to provide a measurable reduction in anxiety within this pilot scope.

Methodological challenges, including limited sample sizes and the lack of a validated Swedish version of the Player Experience of Need Satisfaction scale, hindered the ability to draw definitive conclusions. Despite these limitations, the game was reported as a satisfying experience by the majority of participants. Future research must prioritize larger, multi-center collaborations and streamlined, web-based assessment protocols to better evaluate the potential for knowledge transfer and the long-term efficacy of digital preparation tools in clinical pediatric oncology settings.