2. Development & evaluation of the clinical Tamagotchi

Rationale:

The concept of the cyber-pet can be adapted to the needs of Health students in all disciplines to teach an understanding of chronic health problems and their impact on the individual and their carers.

Methodology:

The Clinical Tamagotchi will be developed in several forms to meet the specific educational needs of clinical students in Nursing, Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Allied Health disciplines. Examples will include a diabetes Tamagotchi, polypharmacy Tamagotchi (taking 10 different medications at different times during the day), and a heartsick Tamagotchi (with multiple somatic complaints and, no matter what you do to it, it never dies).

Health Science students in all disciplines will be provided with a clinical Tamagotehi for 24 hours and this performance will be measured in 3 ways.

1. Number of times Tamagotchi dies in 24 hours.
2. Measurements of student's 24 hour stress hormone level.
3. Subjective questionnaire analysing student attitudes to patients with chronic health problems and their responses to the experience.

A comparison will be made showing the results of each Health Science discipline.

Benefits to the World:

1. Students will gain an understanding of the impact of caring for an individual with a chronic health problem.
2. Significant profits will be made by the College of Health Sciences by selling the Clinical Tamagotehi to other institutions.
3. Any student whose Tamagotchi dies will be deemed to have failed the course and offered a place in Engineering.

Budget:

$25,000.00