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Charity Technology

Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity release stress relieving app

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By Jenny Cleeton, Social Media & Video Content Creator

July 15, 2016 | 3 min read

Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity has released an app that aims to help users deal with the stresses of attending a health appointment which includes an animated baboon squeezing a lemon.

hospichill app

Glasgow Childrens Hospital Charity Hospichill app

The HospiChill app, developed by Good Creative, will aim to prepare and amuse young people who are in a hospital visit.

Speaking about the app, Douglas Samson, head of marketing at Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, explained how technology could be used to empower and build confidence within young people.

He said: “The stress of a hospital visit or health condition isn’t something that can just be left at the hospital door; the app helps young people choose the coping mechanisms that they find helpful and gives them the resources wherever and whenever they need them.”

The app, which comes with over 35 activities to reduce stress, was created by Janie Donnan, a clinical psychologist and programme director for paediatric psychology at NHS education for Scotland.

Donnan said: “The app focuses on the strategies of relaxation, distraction, choice and preparation. There is really good evidence that these strategies help children and young people cope with hospital based anxiety but they aren’t widely available or accessible to young people or their parents/carers – meaning they are experiencing levels of distress they don’t need to.

She continued: "We wanted to build on the success of the Hospital Passport by developing something that was even more accessible and could also appeal to older children and teenagers.”

During the development process of the app, Donnan spoke with a number of older children to ensure that the app was easy and fun to use with animation and audio. Using a number of rewards and badges, Donnan wanted to give the relaxation app a game like feature to keep it fun and easy to use.

She continued: “We wanted their feedback on how they would use the app, what information would be useful to include and their thoughts.”

The new app was developed following the success of the Hospital Passport, where children could colour and create a passport to share any details or information they wanted with their doctor to make the appointment more comfortable. The passport was said to make children feel more comfortable and help 98 per cent of parents learn new ways to support their children with their anxiety.

Samson said: “Technology can be incredibly helpful in healthcare. We see children up until the of 16, and technology can help us to relieve the stress they feel in hospital. There is no age limit on HospiChill though. The app was developed for children and young people, but anyone can use it to cope with stress wherever they are.”

The app is currently available to download iPhone and iPad.

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