{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,11]],"date-time":"2026-01-11T08:30:24Z","timestamp":1768120224665,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,9]],"date-time":"2026-01-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767916800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100020037","name":"GN Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["225"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["225"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100020037","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Providing children with information about their treatment can help reduce uncertainty and anxiety associated with hospital procedures. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate an app designed to prepare young children and their parents for a hearing examination in a playful and engaging way. Methods: This exploratory study adopted a participatory design approach. Children, parents, and clinicians co-created the app, and evaluations were conducted through focus group meetings, dialogue meetings, and surveys. Results: Children, parents, and clinicians evaluated the app positively. Findings indicated that children who used the app before their hearing examination met audiologists\u2019 expectations to a greater extent than those who did not. However, no significant differences were found between the two groups regarding satisfaction with the examination, the children\u2019s sense of safety, or parents\u2019 prior knowledge of the procedure. The study also revealed implementation challenges: only 20% of children visiting the department had used the app beforehand, and funding for ongoing maintenance was not adequately addressed. Conclusions: Preparing children for hearing examinations with an app appears promising. However, to ensure the quality, accessibility, and sustainability of digital healthcare solutions, challenges related to implementation and maintenance must be considered in future studies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm15020552","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,9]],"date-time":"2026-01-09T14:15:50Z","timestamp":1767968150000},"page":"552","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Preparing Children for Hearing Examination in a Playful Way\u2014Co-Creation and Evaluation of an App"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0745-7199","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Signe","family":"Wischmann","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and Audiology Clinic, Copenhagen Hearing and Balance Center, Rigshospitalet, Inge Lehmanns Vej 8, 2100 K\u00f8benhavn, Denmark"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-1797-827X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lone","family":"Jantzen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and Audiology Clinic, Copenhagen Hearing and Balance Center, Rigshospitalet, Inge Lehmanns Vej 8, 2100 K\u00f8benhavn, Denmark"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-3974-7561","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nete Rudbeck","family":"Kamper","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and Audiology Clinic, Copenhagen Hearing and Balance Center, Rigshospitalet, Inge Lehmanns Vej 8, 2100 K\u00f8benhavn, Denmark"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-0404-1027","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniel Boonma","family":"Reipur","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Multisensory Experience Lab, Aalborg University Copenhagen, A.C. Meyers V\u00e6nge 15, 2450 K\u00f8benhavn, Denmark"},{"name":"Independent Researcher, 2610 R\u00f8dovre, Denmark"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Margit","family":"Kabza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and Audiology Clinic, Copenhagen Hearing and Balance Center, Rigshospitalet, Inge Lehmanns Vej 8, 2100 K\u00f8benhavn, Denmark"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maiken Bonne","family":"J\u00f8rgensen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Independent Researcher, 2650 Hvidovre, Denmark"},{"name":"Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics (NorS), University of Copenhagen, Njalsgade 136 & Emil Holms Kanal 2, 2300 K\u00f8benhavn, Denmark"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6971-1132","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stefania","family":"Serafin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and Audiology Clinic, Copenhagen Hearing and Balance Center, Rigshospitalet, Inge Lehmanns Vej 8, 2100 K\u00f8benhavn, Denmark"},{"name":"Multisensory Experience Lab, Aalborg University Copenhagen, A.C. Meyers V\u00e6nge 15, 2450 K\u00f8benhavn, Denmark"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Per","family":"Cay\u00e9-Thomasen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and Audiology Clinic, Copenhagen Hearing and Balance Center, Rigshospitalet, Inge Lehmanns Vej 8, 2100 K\u00f8benhavn, Denmark"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5904-3879","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lone","family":"Percy-Smith","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and Audiology Clinic, Copenhagen Hearing and Balance Center, Rigshospitalet, Inge Lehmanns Vej 8, 2100 K\u00f8benhavn, Denmark"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"531","DOI":"10.1177\/13674935221078060","article-title":"Children\u2019s experiences of stress and coping during hospitalization: A mixed-methods examination","volume":"27","author":"Claridge","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. 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