Feeding the Flame, One Day at a Time: Design and Acceptability of a Serious Game to Support Medication Adherence and Education for Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant Patients

NCT07609303 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 87110
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 15
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

Children and teenagers who receive a solid organ transplant (such as a kidney, liver, or heart) must take medications every day to keep their new organ healthy. Taking these medications correctly and on time is one of the most important parts of staying well after a transplant, but it can be hard for young patients to understand why this matters and to keep up with their routines. Doctors and nurses usually teach patients about their transplant through conversations, which may not always be engaging or easy for kids to remember. This study looks at a new way to help young transplant patients learn about their condition and their medications: an educational game played on a tablet. The purpose of the study is to find out what patients think of the game and how well it works for them. Researchers want to know whether young patients find the game acceptable and enjoyable, whether it is easy to use, whether it makes them feel motivated and capable, and how engaged they feel while playing. To do this, patients will play the tablet game and then share their experiences. After playing, they will take part in a small group interview where they talk about what they liked, what was confusing, and whether the game helped them understand their transplant and medications. They will also fill out short questionnaires about how easy the game was to use and how engaging it felt. The researchers' hypothesis is that pediatric solid organ transplant patients will find the educational tablet-based game acceptable, easy to use, and engaging, and that it will be a welcome and helpful tool for learning about their transplant care. The findings will help guide whether this kind of game could be used to support transplant education for children and teens.

Conditions

Solid Organ Transplant

Keywords

Education

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Determine the acceptability the tablet-based game among solid transplant patient.

  Semi-structured focus group interviews conducted in person immediately after intervention. Six core questions plus probing prompts assessing attitudes, opinions, and perceptions of the intervention experience

  Immediately after intervention

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Evaluate the usability of the tablet-based game among solid transplant patient using System Usability Scale (SUS)

  Immediately after intervention

• To assess participants' intrinsic motivation and psychological needs satisfaction (autonomy, competence, relatedness, presence) while using the intervention

  Immediately after intervention

• To assess participants' overall engagement with the digital intervention

  Immediately after intervention

Study Arms (1)

Solid organ transplant recipient

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Mystic Wizard

Interventions

Mystic Wizard BEHAVIORAL

Mystic Wizards is a tablet-based serious game intervention designed to support medication understanding, self-efficacy, and health engagement among pediatric solid organ transplant recipients. The game uses a narrative fantasy framework in which players assume the role of a young wizard entrusted with a "Legacy Flame" representing their transplanted organ. Daily medications are represented as "potions" required to maintain the strength and stability of the Flame. The intervention includes short narrative sequences, interactive mini-games, visual feedback systems, and avatar customization features designed to reinforce medication routines and promote empowerment in a developmentally appropriate manner. Participants complete a single gameplay session lasting approximately 10-12 minutes on a tablet device during their inpatient hospitalization, followed by brief surveys and a semi-structured interview.

Solid organ transplant recipient

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 7 Years - 14 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Between age 7-14
• History of solid organ transplantation
• Current admission in inpatient unit
• Able to understand and interact with a tablet-based game in English

You may not qualify if:

• Legal guardian not present to obtain consent
• Child with a significant neurological condition, or major developmental disability
• Child with active infection of the face or hand
• History of severe motion sickness
• Severe visual or motor impairment limiting gameplay participation
• Acute medical instability
• Major surgery within the last 48 hours
• Inability to understand English

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Stanford University: lead

Study Officials

• Thomas Caruso, MD, PhD

  Stanford University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Amrita Narang, MD

CONTACT

(650) 721-2250; anarang@stanford.edu

Thomas Caruso, MD, PhD

CONTACT

650-723-5728; tjcaruso@stanford.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Clinical Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 19, 2026
• First Posted: May 27, 2026
• Study Start: July 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2027
• Last Updated: July 9, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07