Child Sized Knowledge Translation (CSKT)
Enhancing Research Through Improving Patient Knowledge and Involvement Through Animated Storybooks
Partner
BC Children’s Hospital (BCCH)
The University of British Columbia (UBC)
The Digital Lab
Type of work
Interactive Learning
technology
Overview
Knowledge of Research is Critical to Increase Participation
To improve patient involvement in research the Digital Lab, BC Children’s Hospital and the University of British Columbia partnered to develop the Child Sized Knowledge Translation (CSKT) interactive story. A lack of knowledge of research projects limits participation and diversity in studies. Patients and families have unique perspectives and their participation in research is critical to improving treatments and creating valuable medical tools. The majority of parents feel they could help medical researchers in developing research questions, collecting data and sharing knowledge. The CSKT interactive story aims to make scientific research understandable, easy to be involved in, and welcoming to people of all backgrounds to increase value.
Research & Design
Increasing Knowledge With an Interactive Storybook
The Digital Lab partnered with BC Children’s Hospital and the University of British Columbia in order to develop the Child Sized Knowledge Translation (CSKT) interactive storybook. This online interactive storybook, titled “Jackie’s Adventure in Research” tells patients and their families about real experiences participating in medical research. Children and their parents will follow Jackie along on an adventure to learn about how everyone can be involved in medical research.
In order to make the platform approachable to families, the interactive story utilizes simplistic language to increase knowledge about the experience of participating in medical research and diverse animations to make all viewers feel included. This short interactive story is accessible to all BC Children’s Hospital patients eligible to participate in hospital research and allows users to make story plot choices to further personalize the experience and enhance engagement. While this interactive story was designed to be child-friendly, it is able to concurrently deliver information on research participation to children’s parents.
Impact
Increasing Patient Knowledge and Engagement in Research
The CSKT interactive storybook acts as a valuable resource to provide simplified education to patients and their families on the research process. This resource provides a personalized experience that will aid researchers in increasing the size and diversity of their participant pools, ultimately allowing them to conduct more effective research and develop more valuable interventions. Through increasing research engagement, our understanding of the diverse ideas, feelings and perspectives of patients will allow us to foster better health outcomes.