NEW YORK, January 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

- Device is clinically proven to reduce anxiety, lower treatment times while improving patient outcome

Diversionary Therapy Technologies' (DTT) groundbreaking ditto™ device will now be used for pediatric patients in the burn unit at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. The device uses diversionary therapy to reduce anxiety in children prior to and during otherwise painful, traumatic procedures.

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DTT's ditto™ device incorporates the latest research that using distraction and educational techniques simultaneously lowers stress and anxiety prior to or during a procedure. This technology uses augmented reality, a multi-modal sensory-based distraction medium of technology and therapy. Instead of encouraging a child to watch a video, ditto™ engages the patient using its interactive touch screen, colorful marker keys and response to physical movement within the ditto.

"The ditto™ has added a new dimension to our diversionary therapy armamentarium at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Burn Service," said Greg Williams, the Burns Service Lead at the hospital. The facility has 17 beds in the burn unit serving adults and children.

Appearing much like a traditional gaming console, ditto™ includes a variety of interactive games, stories and procedural preparation tools. The handheld, waterproof device is portable and easy-to-operate for children of all ages, which is especially useful because many patients in the hospital's burn unit undergo procedures that involve getting wet. Unlike commercial video game devices, ditto™ is proven to reduce stress and anxiety, lower treatment times, and improve patient outcomes.

"Recently a boy who had a great deal of anxiety with his dressing changes used the ditto™ for a subsequent dressing and said he wished he had been offered it right from the start as it made such a difference to him," Williams explained. "The ability to get it wet means it can be used when most other electronic gadgets cannot."

ditto™ was developed with doctors, surgeons, nurses, play specialists, and animation experts over the course of six years. Eight independent randomized clinical trials have proven the efficacy of ditto and its technology. In 2010, ditto™ was launched in Europe and Asia, and it has recently been made available in the United States. New procedures, games and stories are continuously being added to the range of programs available, as DTT continues to work with experts to establish fresh content.

"I am a great fan of the ditto™ and would recommend that every pediatric burn service purchases one," Williams added. He is also the Clinical Director of the London and South East of England Burns Network as well as the Chairman of the National Network for Burn Care Burns Major Incident Subgroup.

About Diversionary Therapy Technologies

Diversionary Therapy Technologies is a global company headquartered in Australia that masterminded the development of ditto™ portable device. DTT worked with The Royal Children's Hospital, Brisbane, to create the handheld, waterproof device that is used prior to and during painful medical procedures to reduce children's anxiety. Learn more at http://www.dtt-usa.com.

About Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is a public hospital in the Chelsea area of London, England. It opened in 1993 and is managed by the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The Burns Unit includes dedicated support services including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, a play specialist, dietetics, psychology, and pain management.

SOURCE Diversionary Therapy Technologies