New app to help children prepare for hospital visits

An international project led by Turku University of Applied Sciences developed an app that allows children and their families to virtually visit a hospital and learn about the different facilities, procedures and equipment. The app can help children to understand the treatment process and thus reduce the anxiety and fear experienced by the child.

Several children are hospitalised every year for various medical procedures and examinations. Uncertainty about the future can cause fear and anxiety about unfamiliar surroundings, equipment and people, among other things, which can make it difficult to carry out tests and increase the pain experienced by the child.

– It is important to give your child clear and age-appropriate information about what will happen in hospital in advance. When the child understands what to expect, he or she will be better able to manage anxiety. This also makes the work of the medical staff easier, says Mirka Toivonen, who is responsible for the Mobile Hospital project.

The project, co-ordinated by Turku University of Applied Sciences and co-funded by the European Union, has responded to the needs of children and families for pre-hospital counselling by developing an app that allows them to visit authentic hospital premises virtually.

– This is made possible through 360 images taken at the Tyks Lighthouse hospital. Information about what is happening at what stage of the treatment and why is added to the premises. Nursing professionals can also use the app as part of patient guidance, Toivonen explains.

The care pathways in the app are linked to additional information, such as audio, video and text files, showing the steps of the most common procedures or examinations and the equipment used.

The new Mobile Hospital app has been piloted with children, parents and nurses in Finland, Sweden and Poland. According to project experts, it has received excellent feedback for its child-centred approach, ease of use and fun.

– The app can also be used to explore the hospital in any other way, even if your child is not going to hospital. Children are often interested in hospitals and what happens there, says Mirka Toivonen.

The free app is browser-based, so there is no need to download it separately from the app store. You can get to know it at www.turkugamelab.fi/mobilehospital. You can choose between Finnish, Swedish, English or Polish as the user language.

Article photo: Minna Salakari

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Mobile Hospital project

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