My Companion
Scientific tests suggest that there is a significant effect related to stress reduction when the app is used compared to when it is not. Hence the project will be rolled out in 2019 as a public app to be used by medical staff and children going to the hospital.
CLIENT
BørneRiget, Rigshospitalet
PLATFORM
App
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Reducing levels of anxiety and stress
AGE
GROUP
4-10 years
Digital exercises for children to reduce stress and anxiety
The new Danish Children’s hospital BørneRiget reached out to us to find a new solution. Together with BørneRiget, Rigshospitalet we co-design the solution My Companion with the purpose of both educating, supporting and comforting children during unpleasant procedures in the hospital.
For many children, the experience of going through necessary medical procedures in hospitals can be both frightening and very uncomfortable, especially for those who visits the hospitals on a regular basis throughout their whole lives. Often it can feel like a big challenge to perform necessary procedures such as blood tests in the hospital, if they have had an unpleasant experience before.
Children who go through painful procedures at the hospital are more prone to increased stress-levels.
#1 Digital step
Meet your new friends Theo and Thea!
With our first digital solution we combine three elements: A physical teddy bear, a digital ‘teddy bear’ translator (biometric wristband that can monitor and measure stress levels in the children) and a tablet with a virtual teddy bear friend, Thea or Theo, who comforts and supports the child.
Studies suggest that there is a reduction of stress as a direct result of motivating the child to explore the procedure such as with an app like My Companion. The game-based app offers children to be an active part of the procedure through play which opens up the opportunities to feel more safe and supported during these procedures.
In the app you meet the bears Theo and Thea, who is also undergoing the same medical procedure. The virtual teddy bear is designed to reflect the child’s stress level in real time, and will react accordingly to it. If the child is scared, the teddy bear will reflect that. The child will have to comfort the bear as he/she will also need the bear as a supporting friend.
In other words, they help and comfort each other in order to get through the procedure.
This made for a really good experience. My Companion is a great tool to divert attention and it just makes the entire procedure much more easy to go through. For us it has meant a lot more calmness and a more positive experience.
Previously we had difficulties with the needle procedure but now it just went completely smooth. No doubt that My Companion made a huge difference, and we will for sure use it again at the next blood test.
Parents to a 10 year old girl
#2 Digital step
Blowing Bubbles Exercise
When the levels of stress have been measured with My Companion, two things can happen. Either the child has a reasonable level of stress and can continue, or in the case of higher stress, a digital exercise will pop up on the screen: The Blowing Bubbles Activity.
This exercise is a breathing game that guides the child to take a deep breath, hold it in and exhale slowly into the microphone on the tablet which is then visualised by soap bubbles getting bigger on the screen. The virtual teddy bear instructs and supports the child to master this task. The size of the bubble reflects the breathing ability of the child.
The purpose of this game is to teach children how to master a soothing breathing exercise when they are nervous or feeling anxiety. Using the illustration of blowing bubbles is a way of visualising the exercise step by step in a fun way that can be understood and performed by children down to the age of 4 years. Rather than just distracting the children My Companion also offers the child to be more involved and motivated to explore the procedure through play.
The soap bubble activity worked really well for us, because we could start using it already when we were in the waiting room and he was starting to get nervous. So he did that instead. It made it very useful for us and also easy to bring for these types of situations.
Parents to an 8 year old boy
Curious to learn more?
We continue our partnership with the Children’s Hospital Copenhagen. With the upcoming project “Break the isolation” we have joined forces with Trifork Public and Khora Virtual Reality to design new digital experiences and tools that help children and adolescents to connect with each other, play together and meet new friends while in hospital. The project is supported by the Danish Cancer Society.
