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Getting animated about medicine

2003; BMJ; Volume: 327; Issue: 7425 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1136/bmj.327.7425.1234

0959-8138

N. Marks,

Child Development and Digital Technology

Can a cartoon character help relay health information to children? You don't have to be a parent, paediatrician, or child psychiatrist to recognise the power of a strong and loveable popular character with whom children can identify. There can scarcely be an adult left in the land who when asked, “Can we fix it?” wouldn't know the appropriate, “Yes we can!” response to yell back. But now it could be time for Bob the Builder, along with Fireman Sam and Postman Pat, to move over. Welcome instead the cheery, boyish figure of Dr Dan. Dr Dan has just won the Medical Futures Best Innovation in Health Communication Award for his co-creators, paediatrician Dr Veronica Kinsler, ophthalmologist Dr Eoin O'Sullivan, and their lawyer spouses. If all goes according to plan, then Dr Dan, like Sam, Pat, and Bob, is set for a future captivating the imagination of the under 7s. He will feature across the media, in books, on television, and on the web—he …