"Ready, Set, Surgery" is launched!

Rutgers New Jersey Medical School students are spearheading a project to improve per operative, anxiety and patient understanding in young patients undergoing elective surgery at University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey. “Ready, Set, Surgery” is an interactive game written by Hrithika Ravuri (a fourth year medical student going into Anesthesia) and developed by Heydoc Pediatrics. The game features Annie and Poffy, two characters in the game that explore calm breathing under an oxygen mask, a familiarization exercise of the operating room and a fun “pong-inspired” game of Poffy the Pain Blocker! The game was reviewed and endorsed by pediatric anesthesiologist Courtney Giordano, MD and the project was funded by the Society of Pediatric Anesthesia.

The project is currently underway, with a devoted team of medical students facilitating the game and collecting survey responses. The study seeks to measure the impact of the game on perioperative anxiety for children.