Transient fears in children and adolescents are common and a natural part of growth and development. Fears are the way children deal with new, unfamiliar or exciting situations. One of the most common fears in children is related to hospitals, examinations and medical procedures.
Mirka Toivonen, Senior Lecturer at Turku University of Applied Sciences, and Master School student Lotta Salo tell Neela how the Mobile Hospital app works.
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Edited:
Text and photos by Minna Salakari
The Mobile Hospital mobile app under development at Turku University of Applied Sciences offers children and their parents a way to prepare for future hospital visits in a safe and fun way, which can significantly alleviate hospital anxiety.
A frightened child needs presence and support
When a child faces fear, it is up to the adult to offer security, support and understanding. A frightened child needs to be present and helped to deal with his or her feelings.
– This is especially true in situations where the child is sick or in a strange environment,” says Lotta Salo , a Master School student at Turku University of Applied Sciences.
In her thesis, Salo investigates the usability of the Mobile Hospital mobile app, i.e. whether children aged 5-12 find the app functional, fun and interesting, and whether it can be used to alleviate hospital anxiety. The aim is to collect data from child patients participating in the pilot phase.
The aim is to develop a mobile application that is as user-friendly as possible.
The results obtained will be used in the development of a mobile application in the Mobile Hospital project of the Turku University of Applied Sciences, Health Care Development in a Hybrid World research group.
– The aim is to develop a mobile app that is as user-friendly as possible to help children coming to hospital and their parents prepare for the upcoming procedures, says Mirka Toivonen, senior lecturer and research group leader.
Toivonen says that a functional and interesting mobile app can help alleviate children’s fear of hospitals and their excitement about unfamiliar things in the hospital.
A successful hospital experience supports a child’s recovery
According to a literature review by Lotta Salo, there are many ways to alleviate hospital pain. The presence of parents is important, as is empathy for the child and his or her family on the part of the nursing staff.
– Humour, talking about fear and redirecting the child’s thoughts can also help, Salo says.
The child should be informed honestly and openly about future examinations and procedures, according to his or her age. With young children, hospital games can be an effective way to prepare for the visit.
A successful hospital experience can increase the child’s trust in both parents and caregivers, which will make future hospital visits easier.
– Preparing your child for a hospital visit is important to make the experience as smooth as possible. A well-prepared child is more cooperative, recovers quickly and experiences less pain and stress,” says Salo.
Digital guidance methods reduce children’s fear of hospitalisation
Health technology has brought new possibilities to childcare: digital solutions such as websites, games or videos can be used to guide patients. They can be used to guide the patient through the upcoming hospital visit in an interesting way.
– The ideal digital guidance method for a child is participatory, fun, challenging, with a familiar narrative format and the opportunity to try something new from a distance,” Salo says.
He adds that the method must be usable, i.e. clear, easy to use and realistic. The benefit of digital patient counselling is that the child and family can determine for themselves what they want or need more information on and when the counselling will take place.
Salo says that studies show that children who play an educational game in hospital before the procedure experience less excitement about the hospital, the illness and the procedure than those who play regular video games for entertainment or play nothing at all.
– Mobile interventions, such as playing mobile devices and games, are effective and safe non-medical ways to reduce children’s fear and distract them, for example before and during the procedure.
What is Mobile Hospital?
The Mobile Hospital app is being developed with Turku University of Applied Sciences, the University of Gdansk (Poland) and Karolinska University Hospital (Sweden). Mobile Hospital allows the child and the caregiver to explore the 360-photographed real hospital and procedure rooms at their own pace and the child can explore the facilities in advance.
Even if the 360 images are taken in a specific hospital, the material can be used in other hospitals. The app is being piloted and evaluated by end-users (children and families) in Finland, Poland and Sweden. The project is funded by the Baltic Sea Region (BSR).
The aim is to facilitate work with child patients, reduce the stress and anxiety children experience when hospitalised, and give carers tools to deal with their child’s emotions and prepare them for the necessary interventions.
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