Little NIRVANA

Each year, many millions of children are exposed to painful medical events such as vaccinations, blood tests, minor surgeries or invasive examinations. Children often perceive these events as frightening, which can lead to failed treatments, slower healing and anxiety about medical procedures. 

The project’s objective is to strengthen empowerment and trust of the child and their parents during medical procedures and to prevent procedural anxiety and trauma. This is achieved through development of an innovative digital tool integrating multiple evidence-based principles tailored on the age and developmental level of the child. 

The project runs over a period of three years from January 2020 until December 2022. The funding is provided by EIT health. 

In the tool, an attractive and colorful bird-like creature, named Milo will be the companion of the child during the hospital visit and procedure. The “Breath of Nature” is a magical world where the child is invited to join. A multi-modular app with trust-enhancing, relaxation and training modules for the children and their parents will be developed and can be used in the waiting room or at home. Central in the little nirvana experience is the procedural encounter. This will be embedded in a multisensory 2D/3D experience. A service is developed for the care providers, with which they can control the interactive experience based on the patient's status and needs/phases of the procedure.