Innovation in the medical field and industry today continues to be illustrated through various methods and technologies used by doctors and researchers. It includes a team of researchers who developed a video game in which they use to classify and evaluate the degree or level of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among children and adults as well.
ADHD is classified as a neurodevelopmental disorder, where it has seen a 7.2 percent chance of development and diagnosis on both the children and adolescents all around the world. The diagnosis of such disorder is being given those who may have developed it based on the judgement and evaluation of the healthcare professionals through the patient's history of medical aspects, backed by the scales and tests done and completed by caregivers or even teachers who could be considered knowledgeable about the disorder.
The Researchers' Method - Video Game Application
The team of researchers from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid or UC3M, and Complutense University of Madrid or dubbed as UCM in its Spanish term spearheaded the development of the study. A paper which was recently released by peer-reviewed journal and website Brain Sciences showed that the team of researchers prepared a proposal in which it presents a video game that children may have a high chance of knowing and familiarizing it.
Through the method proposed by the researchers, symptoms of ADHD could be identified and evaluate it as well to determine the severity of the lack of attention in each of the cases of ADHD that would be utilized within the method that was proposed.
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According to David Delgado Gomez, the lead author and professor from the UC3M's Department of Statistics, the video game would feature a racoon which the patients turned players will be using as their own avatar and in-game character. The racoon will run and must avoid different obstacles along its way, such as obstacles which may cause their own avatars to fall in the holes while running.
While another author Inmaculada Penuelas Calvo, a psychiatrist at the Jimenez Diaz Foundation University Hospital and professor at the UCM's Department of Personality, Evaluation, and Clinical Psychology, the team in which she belongs made a hypothesis that children who were diagnosed with the inattentive subtype of the ADHD would most likely display more mistakes in playing the game. They may have a higher chance of jumping closer to the hole as a result of their symptom of inattention which would then be manifested into the game.
The Benefits of the Study
The application of the video game would the benefit both the researchers and the patients, as it may have the capability to identify and determine the symptoms inclined to attention deficiency directly and quickly. This could then pave the way for the researchers and doctors as well to assess the severity of a patient's inattention through an objective manner.
Another advantage of the method used in the study is how long the test would take. The game was designed as long as only seven minutes, as well as it does not required a specific hardware in order to be used.
