Every year, approximately 600 children are diagnosed with cancer. A quarter of them eventually die from the disease. Since 2018, the Princess Máxima Center in Utrecht has been treating all children with cancer. Healthcare professionals are always present in the pediatric oncology center who can think along with you about ways to reduce the pain. The app, which is being developed with the support of the Philips Foundation, is intended to bring this care to the home situation.
App makes you feel safe
The MMC recently completed a pilot in which a number of families and care providers used the app. The main conclusion is that the app gives children and parents a safe feeling: they know that someone from the hospital is available to watch and give advice.
For example, Thijs, one of the children who took part in the pilot, says that he always gets headaches and abdominal pain after a heavy chemo. When he entered that into the app, his mother and father were called to tell them what they could do best for the pain. “That did help: I don’t think you would call yourself so quickly with only abdominal pain.”
Follow-up research
The healthcare professionals who participated in the pilot indicated that they see the KLIK Pain Monitor app as a good addition to the treatment of children with cancer. The Princess Maxima Center is currently conducting follow-up research. If the result is positive, the healthcare provider expects to integrate the app into healthcare next year.
Arjanne van Norel, anesthetist – pain specialist at the Princess Máxima Center, states that the app enables very accessible contact with the children, as well as early involvement. This prevents a problem from escalating further.
Children can indicate a pain score in the app from 0 to 10. With a low score, from 0 to 3, they receive tips on how to deal with pain. With scores of 4 or higher, care providers contact the family by telephone. There are no fixed times to fill in pain scores. This should prevent the children involved from being reminded of their pain problems when this is not the case.
Low-threshold technology
Sylvia van Es, president of Philips Netherlands, calls the KLIK Pain Monitor app a good example of how low-threshold technology can make the lives of children with cancer and their environment more bearable. In this way, the app prevents stress from pain problems for children and parents, without a medical professional nearby to help them. “The app makes help and advice available 24 hours a day, at the simple push of a button. Projects like this make the partnership between the Philips Foundation and the Princess Máxima Center so valuable and beautiful.”