Gamification is applying game design features to non-games (usually to encourage participation or to make mundane tasks not-so-boring). And many of you know that, as a physician who loves marketing, persuasion, humor and making iPhone games, it goes without saying that my favorite part of what I do is when I combine all of these elements.
Well, not the ideal situation for me to try more gamification of healthcare, but nonetheless it seemed appropriate to me… My son has his second trip in seven months to the Emergency Department for stitches. This time, he collided with one of his sisters & then apparently fell hitting his head on the side of a chair. The head and scalp are loaded with blood vessels so you can imagine what a bloody mess it was.
Any time there's head trauma, though, you have to be concerned to what extent. There is always a period of watching consciousness. Thankfully, he never lost consciousness, but during that period immediately after the injury and stopping the bleeding, I wanted to be sure that he was himself.
This injury occurred right around his normal nap time. So when you're assessing for consciousness, you have to wonder – how much of this is just needing a nap (especially after all of the crying and commotion)? And how much of this is related to head trauma?
Let's be very, very clear, though… Total brain rest is recommended in the early post-concussion period. This means no video games, no TV, etc. But that is for treatment. Right now, I'm talking about diagnostics. I'm talking about a parent detecting differences in their child enough to tell a clinician.
So, anyway, he's fine. With pressure the bleeding stopped and he tolerated the stitches with only local anesthetic. The only problem now is convincing him he doesn't need a Band-Aid anymore and keeping him away from my iPhone and my iPad.