When sick children are treated in a clinic, their vulnerability becomes particularly clear. Often, young patients do not understand exactly what happens to them during a medical intervention, how treatment methods are selected and what consequences a therapy can have for them. This lack of understanding usually leads to psychological overload for the children.

In order to make the hospital stay easier for the young patients, the Care-for-Rare Foundation has launched the “Child Life Tech Specialist” project at Dr. von Haunerschen Kinderspital: Specially trained staff members are available to assist the children and support them with a wide range of digital services. The “Tech Specialists” develop child-friendly explanatory videos and so-called “serious games”, i.e. computer games that are not primarily intended to entertain, but rather to impart knowledge and accompany treatment. With special games, children receive comprehensible information about therapies, practice calming techniques and are distracted from their fear of possible pain during treatment.

For example, a child-friendly educational video on endoscopy has been created and is already being used successfully (see video on YouTube). With the “Pingunauten-Trainer”, a virtual reality smartphone app is also used to prepare children and adolescents for an upcoming MRI examination. With the help of the app, children can complete targeted exercises that lead to a significant reduction in nervousness before the examination.

With the deployment of the Child Life Tech Specialists, we are once again implementing requirements of the Convention on the Rights of the Child: To help children achieve their vested right to information, play and participation and thus improve their everyday life in the pediatric clinic.

The Tech Specialist project is an extension of the already established Child Life Specialist project at Dr. von Hauner’s Children’s Hospital, which ensures holistic psychosocial care in the children’s hospital.