Virtual RealityWOWNCT06911996
The WOW Project (WOW): Wonders Of The World Through Virtual Reality for Hospitalized Children
A study testing Virtual Reality in people with Virtual Reality, run by Stanford University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Hospitalized pediatric patients are unable to leave the hospital to engage in traditional learning environments. Patients often feel depressed, disconnected from learning, and socially withdrawn. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 5 to 17 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Virtual Reality
- What is being tested?
- Virtual Reality
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 67 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 10 Jul 2025to 9 Mar 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 5 to 17 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child
Who may be able to join
- Between the age of 5 and 17.
- English speaking.
- Anticipated in-patient stay for more than 1 day.
Who cannot join
- 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
- A history of severe motion sickness
- A history of seizures caused by flashing light
- Major surgery within the last 12 hours
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford
Palo Alto, California, 94304
About this study
Official title: Immersive Bedside Teaching for Hospitalized Pediatric Patient - A Prospective, Mixed-method, Cohort Study
Hospitalized pediatric patients are unable to leave the hospital to engage in traditional learning environments. Patients often feel depressed, disconnected from learning, and socially withdrawn. The Stanford Chariot Program proposes a partnership with the Palo Alto Unified Hospital School at Stanford Children's Health to reignite patients' emotional well-being through learning. The WOW Project aims to use virtual reality (VR) to travel with hospitalized children to the Wonders of the World (WOW). Combining this immersive learning modality with complementary hands-on activities at the bedside, the investigators will transport them from their hospital room into a nurturing virtual environment to stimulate their emotional, mental, and social growth while they are physically healing. The investigators will evaluate their overall joy and awe of learning by using standardized emotional scales.
- Conditions
- Virtual Reality
- Being tested
- Virtual Reality
- Keywords
- Immersive Learning
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Virtual RealityBehavioural
After obtaining written consent, participants will be asked to complete a brief demographic survey and pre-intervention surveys (content knowledge, and wellbeing surveys). They will then be equipped with a VR headset, Quest 3 (Meta, Inc., Menlo Park, CA) displaying the educational field trip. After the VR field trip, participants will participate in a complementary hands-on science experiment. At the conclusion of the experiment, patients will be asked to complete the post intervention surveys (i.e awe, content knowledge, and wellbeing surveys).
Additionally, for the first 20 participants, 15 participants will be randomly selected and asked to participate in a 5 open-ended question qualitative interview regarding engagement of the lesson. Audio will be recorded via zoom.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Reality Group | Experimental | Participants will all receive the VR intervention and will be instructed to wear an Oculus Quest 3 headset (Meta, Inc., Menlo Park, CA) and participate in virtual field trips from Engage (David Whelan). Brink Traveler (Akin Bilgic) and Wander (John Entwistle) that are specifically designed to reignite the joy and awe of learning. Receives: Behavioral: Virtual Reality |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Assess the impact of VR-based field trips on the feeling of awe of the pediatric inpatient population
The primary outcome will be AWE measured by the AWE-SF Survey - The Awe Experience Short Form Scale. The survey contains 12 items about awe experience. Each item was rated on a 7-point scale (1 = Strongly Disagree, 7 = Strongly Agree).
Measured: immediately after intervention
Secondary outcomes (3)
Change in the number of correct answers of the content knowledge
Change in number of correct answers of the content knowledge using Bloom's Taxonomy questioning. Participants will respond to 5 questions, two questions about comprehension, one question about application, one question about analysis and one question about evaluation. Scores range from 0 to 5, with higher scores indicating the higher number of correct answer.
Measured: Day 1 baseline, Day 1 immediately after intervention
Change in a patients' well-being as measured through the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5)
The WHO (Five) Well-Being Index is a participant-reported outcome measure that assesses current mental well being. Questionnaire contains 5 questions . Scores range from 0 to 5, with higher scores indicating the corresponding feeling exists all the time.
Measured: Day 1 baseline, Day 1 immediately after intervention
Thematic analysis of the qualitative surveys including how the lesson engagement correlates to the increase in joyful learning.
Analysis of data collected via qualitative surveys, using saturation sampling and documented coding techniques, will result in thematic descriptions how the lesson engagement correlates to the increase in joyful learning.
Measured: immediately after intervention
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted4 Apr 2025
- Study start10 Jul 2025
- Primary completion9 Mar 2026
- Study completion9 Mar 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Virtual RealityStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Stanford UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 67 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Stanford University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Thomas Caruso, Stanford University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06911996
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 80079
- Acronym
- WOW
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 28 Mar 2025
- Last updated
- 6 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 6 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Immersive Bedside Teaching for Hospitalized Pediatric Patient - A Prospective, Mixed-method, Cohort Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06911996
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- WOW / 80079
- Conditions
- Virtual Reality
- Keywords
- Immersive Learning
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 67 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Stanford UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 10 Jul 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 9 Mar 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 9 Mar 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 4 Apr 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Hospitalized pediatric patients are unable to leave the hospital to engage in traditional learning environments. Patients often feel depressed, disconnected from learning, and socially withdrawn. The Stanford Chariot Program proposes a partnership with the Palo Alto Unified Hospital School at Stanford Children's Health to reignite patients' emotional well-being through learning. The WOW Project aims to use virtual reality (VR) to travel with hospitalized children to the Wonders of the World (WOW). Combining this immersive learning modality with complementary hands-on activities at the bedside, the investigators will transport them from their hospital room into a nurturing virtual environment to stimulate their emotional, mental, and social growth while they are physically healing. The investigators will evaluate their overall joy and awe of learning by using standardized emotional scales.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Reality Group | Experimental | Behavioral: Virtual RealityParticipants will all receive the VR intervention and will be instructed to wear an Oculus Quest 3 headset (Meta, Inc., Menlo Park, CA) and participate in virtual field trips from Engage (David Whelan). Brink Traveler (Akin Bilgic) and Wander (John Entwistle) that are specifically designed to reignite the joy and awe of learning. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 5 to 17 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Between the age of 5 and 17.
- English speaking.
- Anticipated in-patient stay for more than 1 day.
Key exclusion criteria (6 listed)
- 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
- A history of severe motion sickness
- A history of seizures caused by flashing light
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual RealityAfter obtaining written consent, participants will be asked to complete a brief demographic survey and pre-intervention surveys (content knowledge, and wellbeing surveys). They will then be equipped with a VR headset, Quest 3 (Meta, Inc., Menlo Park, CA) displaying the educational field trip. After the VR field trip, participants will participate in a complementary hands-on science experiment. At the conclusion of the experiment, patients will be asked to complete the post intervention surveys (i.e awe, content knowledge, and wellbeing surveys). Additionally, for the first 20 participants, 15 participants will be randomly selected and asked to participate in a 5 open-ended question qualitative interview regarding engagement of the lesson. Audio will be recorded via zoom. | Behavioural | Virtual Reality Group |
Primary outcome
Assess the impact of VR-based field trips on the feeling of awe of the pediatric inpatient population
Time frame: immediately after intervention
The primary outcome will be AWE measured by the AWE-SF Survey - The Awe Experience Short Form Scale. The survey contains 12 items about awe experience. Each item was rated on a 7-point scale (1 = Strongly Disagree, 7 = Strongly Agree).
3 secondary outcomes
Change in the number of correct answers of the content knowledge
Time frame: Day 1 baseline, Day 1 immediately after intervention
Change in a patients' well-being as measured through the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5)
Time frame: Day 1 baseline, Day 1 immediately after intervention
Thematic analysis of the qualitative surveys including how the lesson engagement correlates to the increase in joyful learning.
Time frame: immediately after intervention
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 6 Oct 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Virtual Reality in people with Virtual Reality, run by Stanford University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Assess the impact of VR-based field trips on the feeling of awe of the pediatric inpatient population (time frame: immediately after intervention). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 6 Oct 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 7 Nov 2026.