What do nurses say about BuddyCare?
"When children are well prepared for pediatric surgery, it is easier for us to take care of them. Families using the app arrive at the surgery feeling calmer. The care-related materials and guidance are easily accessible on their own phone, and they can return to them anytime, anywhere."
The attached and translated article “Mobiilisovellus pikkupotilaan tukena” was originally published in the Pohjanpiiri magazine in February 2017 (Issue 1/2017). Pohjanpiiri is the employee magazine of Northern Ostrobothnia Hospital District, which owns and operates Oulu University Hospital in Finland. You can read it in Finnish by downloading a PDF copy here.
Nurses at Oulu University Hospital share their experiences with Buddy Healthcare.
A patient engagement app, designed to help paediatric patients prepare for paediatric surgery, has been tested in the Department of Pediatric Surgery and Gastroenterology at Oulu University Hospital (OYS) in Finland. The Buddy Healthcare app supports both the child and their family.
"When the child is well prepared, it is easier for us to take care of them. Families who have used the app come to surgery feeling calmer. The rules and guidance are available on their own phone, and they can return to them anytime, anywhere," say Tarja Backman and Tiina Suoraniemi, nurses who participated in the trial.
Several families have participated in the testing. “There has only been positive feedback from the families,” Backman says. “Thanks to the app, you have more time to prepare for the surgery than usual,” Suoraniemi adds.
A 13-year-old boy was excited when he got the app on his phone. His mother found it very useful, because it made the surgery feel like the boy’s own project, Backman explains.
For younger children, the app presents the surgery day as a story that parents can read aloud.
“It helps children when they are told in advance what will happen in the hospital: how their own clothes are changed into hospital clothes, how anaesthetic cream is applied to their hands, and what the operating room looks like. When the child knows what to expect, they approach the procedure with a calm attitude,” Suoraniemi says.
Everything that happens before and after the surgery is just as significant to the child and their family as the experiences on the surgery day itself.
Buddy Healthcare helps parents access information and guides how to prepare their child for the hospital experience. This reduces fear and anxiety for everyone involved. “The trial has also made us reflect on our own processes. It is important that we can direct caregiver resources at the right time and to the right place,” Mäkelä reflects.
Backman gives an example from daily work. The pre-surgery phone call the day before surgery is often lengthy. “Parents have many questions. Some are very small, such as how to find the right entrance, while others are about the surgery itself. After this phone call, parents have only one day to prepare their child for the procedure.”
Through the app, parents also complete a pre-operative assessment, which the nurse reviews and confirms with the family. This ensures that important pre-surgery information reaches the hospital in time to be used effectively.
Buddy Healthcare is the first collaboration between OYS TestLab and a company to be tested directly in patient care. A team of four nurses has participated in the testing: in addition to Suoraniemi and Backman, the team includes unit nurse Mailis Mäkelä and unit nurse assistant Kirsti Kähkönen.
“We have been involved in the app’s product development from the very beginning, starting with its initial vision. We began testing it in practice in November. In this product, our needs meet the possibilities of technology,” says Mailis Mäkelä.
The app also supports a national protocol on providing emotional support to young children in daily surgical care, which was created at OYS. “The protocol requires us to further develop patient guidance and advice related to fast-paced daily surgery,” Mäkelä explains.
Pediatric surgery patients and their parents are generally technologically literate and capable. “Through this testing, we have concluded that technology can serve young patients without replacing the human touch,” Mäkelä concludes.
The CEO and founder of Buddy Healthcare, Jussi Määttä, explains that the product (Care Coordination platform) has been developed at OYS TestLab for a year. “It is great that we had the opportunity to test the product in real patient care. The initial results we have received are very encouraging.”
According to Määttä, the app helps ensure that the care process runs smoothly and prevents surgery cancellations, as information is transmitted in real time between the hospital and the patient.
For staff, the system provides concrete information about the patient’s preparation process. “The app reduces workload – especially the time spent on phone calls. It helps the staff ensure that surgeries take place as scheduled,” he says.
Collaboration with the unit provides valuable input for further development of the app. “We are also beginning tests for adult surgical care in the US and the UK,” Määttä adds.
Original text: Hannele Lamusuo