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RecruitingNCT07609303Mystic WizardUpdated Sep 28, 2026

Feeding the Flame, One Day at a Time: Design and Acceptability of a Serious Game to Support Medication Adherence and Education for Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant Patients

An interventional study of Mystic Wizard in Solid Organ Transplant, sponsored by Stanford University. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 7 Years to 17 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-28.

Sponsored by Stanford University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
15
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
7 Years to 17 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Children and teenagers who receive a solid organ transplant (such as a kidney, liver, or heart) must take medications every day to keep their new organ healthy. Taking these medications correctly and on time is one of the most important parts of staying well after a transplant, but it can be hard for young patients to understand why this matters and to keep up with their routines. Doctors and nurses usually teach patients about their transplant through conversations, which may not always be engaging or easy for kids to remember.

This study looks at a new way to help young transplant patients learn about their condition and their medications: an educational game played on a tablet. The purpose of the study is to find out what patients think of the game and how well it works for them. Researchers want to know whether young patients find the game acceptable and enjoyable, whether it is easy to use, whether it makes them feel motivated and capable, and how engaged they feel while playing.

To do this, patients will play the tablet game and then share their experiences. After playing, they will take part in a small group interview where they talk about what they liked, what was confusing, and whether the game helped them understand their transplant and medications. They will also fill out short questionnaires about how easy the game was to use and how engaging it felt.

The researchers' hypothesis is that pediatric solid organ transplant patients will find the educational tablet-based game acceptable, easy to use, and engaging, and that it will be a welcome and helpful tool for learning about their transplant care. The findings will help guide whether this kind of game could be used to support transplant education for children and teens.

02

Conditions studied

  • Solid Organ Transplant

Keywords

  • Education
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
7 Years to 17 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Between age 7-17
  • History of solid organ transplantation
  • Current admission in inpatient unit
  • Able to understand and interact with a tablet-based game in English

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Legal guardian not present to obtain consent
  • Child with a significant neurological condition, or major developmental disability
  • Child with active infection of the face or hand
  • History of severe motion sickness
  • Severe visual or motor impairment limiting gameplay participation
  • Acute medical instability
  • Major surgery within the last 48 hours
  • Inability to understand English
04

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
15 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Solid organ transplant recipient

    Behavioral: Mystic Wizard

Interventions

  • BehavioralMystic Wizard

    Mystic Wizards is a tablet-based serious game intervention designed to support medication understanding, self-efficacy, and health engagement among pediatric solid organ transplant recipients. The game uses a narrative fantasy framework in which players assume the role of a young wizard entrusted with a "Legacy Flame" representing their transplanted organ. Daily medications are represented as "potions" required to maintain the strength and stability of the Flame. The intervention includes short narrative sequences, interactive mini-games, visual feedback systems, and avatar customization features designed to reinforce medication routines and promote empowerment in a developmentally appropriate manner. Participants complete a single gameplay session lasting approximately 10-12 minutes on a tablet device during their inpatient hospitalization, followed by brief surveys and a semi-structured interview.

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Determine the acceptability the tablet-based game among solid transplant patient.

    Semi-structured focus group interviews conducted in person immediately after intervention. Six core questions plus probing prompts assessing attitudes, opinions, and perceptions of the intervention experience

    Time frame: Immediately after intervention

Secondary outcomes

  1. Evaluate the usability of the tablet-based game among solid transplant patient using Usability and Acceptability Scale (UAS)

    Usability of the tablet-based game will be assessed using Usability and Acceptability Scale (UAS), which is a 8 item 5-point Likert scale ranging from "Strongly Disagree" to "Strongly Agree with 40 indicating highest usability of the tool.

    Time frame: Immediately after intervention

  2. To assess participants' intrinsic motivation and psychological needs satisfaction (autonomy, competence, relatedness, presence) while using the intervention

    Semi-structured focus group interviews conducted in person immediately after intervention. Six core questions plus probing prompts assessing attitudes, opinions, and perceptions of the intervention experience

    Time frame: Immediately after intervention

  3. To assess participants' overall engagement with the digital intervention

    Semi-structured focus group interviews conducted in person immediately after intervention. Six core questions plus probing prompts assessing attitudes, opinions, and perceptions of the intervention experience

    Time frame: Immediately after intervention

06

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford
    Palo Alto, California 94304, United States
    • ManYee Suen, MMedSc · Contact · smy822@stanford.edu
    • Thomas Caruso, MD, PhD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
07

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07609303
Lead sponsor
Stanford University
Responsible party
Thomas Caruso (Clinical Professor, Stanford University) — Principal investigator
First posted
May 27, 2026
Start date
Aug 17, 2026
Primary completion
Jul 16, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Jul 16, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 28, 2026

Study contacts

Amrita Narang, MD
Contact
anarang@stanford.edu
(650) 721-2250
Thomas Caruso, MD, PhD
Contact
tjcaruso@stanford.edu
650-723-5728
Thomas Caruso, MD, PhD
principal investigator · Stanford University

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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