SERES CLINIPUP®
A serious game as adjunct therapy to pharmacological interventions, for the management of peri-operative pain in children.
SERES Clinipup® is a serious game designed to reduce anxiety and pain in kids aged 6-10, who undergo ambulatory surgery. The Clinipup® package also comes with an e-learning developed specifically for parents. It helps parents prepare their child for surgery and educates them on how to manage their child’s pain at home, after the surgery. Clinipup® was clinically validated in 2 independent trials. (RZ Tienen, KU Leuven, UZ Gent)1,2,3
Supports medical staff
Pain management is notoriously difficult in children. Staff often find it difficult to evaluate how much pain a child has, and to determine the right level of treatment. CliniPup® was developed together with hospital staff and pediatric experts to address this issue.
Clinically validated
CliniPup® was evaluated in 2 clinical trials for use as an adjunct therapy to pharmaceutical interventions for pediatric peri-operative pain management.
Empowers kids
CliniPup® is a loveable character that kids can relate AND look up to. He guides kids through a typical day of surgery, so they can anticipate what will happen. He also teaches how to communicate about our experience & allows us to practice some key coping skills.
Pilot results
Outcomes of the pilot trial were encouraging1,2,3 and gave clear guidance on where to focus development efforts to refine and improve CliniPup®. The upgraded version is currently being validated in an additional clinical trial.
Trial outcomes
Children who played CliniPup® demonstrated a 39% reduction in preoperative anxiety compared to controls (p=0.01). Parents of children who played CliniPup® demonstrated a 17% reduction in anxiety prior to surgery (non-statistically significant) compared to controls. No difference in postoperative pain score between test and control group. CliniPup® received NPS of 67 from parents.
1. Verschueren, S., van Aalst, J., Bangels, A. M., Toelen, J., Allegaert, K., Buffel, C., & Vander Stichele, G. (2019). Development of CliniPup, a Serious Game Aimed at Reducing Perioperative Anxiety and Pain in Children: Mixed Methods Study. JMIR serious games, 7(2), e12429. doi:10.2196/12429 2. Buffel, C., van Aalst, J., Bangels, A. M., Toelen, J., Allegaert, K., Verschueren, S., & Vander Stichele, G. (2019). A Web-Based Serious Game for Health to Reduce Perioperative Anxiety and Pain in Children (CliniPup): Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR serious games, 7(2), e12431. doi:10.2196/12431. 3. Matthyssens, L.E., Vanhulle, A., Seldenslach, L., Vander Stichele, G., Coppens, M., Van Hoecke, E. A pilot study of the effectiveness of a serious game CliniPup on perioperative anxiety and pain in children, J Pediatr Surg, 55(2), 2020, 304-311. doi:10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2019.10.031
Children (serious game)
Parents (e-learning)