Description: Award winning award winning educational and social support intervention for pediatric cancer patients that uses the Internet as a community-building tool for hospitals and schools. It provides educational continuity for children and adolescents undergoing treatment for cancer. Animated, interactive avatars provide online help to the patient, and a proprietary Web-based “mood engine” tailors the look and feel of the site design based on the patient’s health status and mood. Teacher and healthcare provider interfaces enable interaction with the patient and make it possible to download curricula and class content. Efficacy testing in a clinical trial with pediatric cancer patients demonstrated that @neWorld has a positive effect on school achievement and self-esteem, and reduces behavioral problems.

Funding: National Cancer Institute (NCI) R4CA86661B and R4CA86661A

Target Population: Pediatric cancer patients, their families, peers, healthcare team, and teachers

Efficacy Test: One-year study among pediatric cancer hospitals and their patients, families, peers, and schools

Outcomes:Intervention has positive effect on school achievement, self-esteem, and behavior