App review: Phoenix Children’s Hospital's Simply Sayin' (Medical jargon for kids)
This app can help medical professionals and families explain confusing medical terms to a child.
A voiding cystourethrogram? Medical terms like this can be confusing and potentially overwhelming for families and especially their children.
Here's an app that takes the mystery out of medical jargon. Simply Sayin' is produced by the Phoenix Children's Hospital Child Life Department, the Patient and family Alumni League (PALs), and Valley Leadership of Phoenix to assist medical professionals and families explain a procedure like this to a child.
Ends up, you can find a voiding cystourethrogram is "a special test to see if the pee from your bladder goes out in into the potty or if it goes back into the kidneys." Along with the definition, there is a picture of where the test takes place, an explanation of the test's importance, what a patient's job is during the test, what happens during the test, and tips to help during the procedure.
The app was created by Certified Child Life Specialists at Phoenix Children's Hospital. PCH Child Life Specialists help patients better understand and cope with their medical experiences. Behind the idea for the app was Brian Bogert, a former Phoenix Children's Hospital patient who assisted in the fundraising and management of its development process. His severed arm was re-attached at Phoenix Children's after a childhood accident.
The app includes:
- Alphabetized glossary of terms
- Illustrations and photographs
- Anatomical images that can be drawn on free hand to illustrate surgical procedures and medical conditions
- Sound clips
After searching through the app, it probably would come in handy if a child was nervous or curious about an upcoming test or procedure like an MRI, stitches, or surgery. The glossary is a quick and easy way to find layman's terms for body parts, procedures, and medical conditions or illnesses. It's available for free for Apple and Android devices. (One thing to note. iTunes rated it 12+ for infrequent/mild sexual content and nudity, but I couldn't find anything while looking through the app.)
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