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A leading children’s hospital has launched a pioneering new website to help young people prepare for their impending treatment.
Barts and the London Children’s Hospital has created the new resource to help ease the fears of youngsters who are facing a visit to hospital.
Included on the website are a range of quirky characters who guide children through documentary-style films and cartoons of children and teenagers talking about their real-life experiences as patients.
To help capture children’s real thoughts, some of the children featured on the site filmed their own video diaries while in hospital.
The moving stories cover a range of topics, including what it’s like to stay on a ward, how it feels to have an operation and what it’s like to come to Accident and Emergency.
“Jack loves it [the website], and we’re really pleased that he was part of this,” says Sally Aitchison, mum of young patient Jack who was interviewed about Crohn’s disease, a condition which affects the digestive system.
“It’s fantastic to see such an informative, yet simple website for children that gives a good representation of what actually happens in hospital.”
A hospital spokesperson said: “We hope that hearing and seeing our young patients talk about their experiences will reassure other children about visiting our hospital.”
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