The Imaginary Friend Society app is helping child cancer patients cope with anxiety by bringing imaginary friends to life. Developed by the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, this heartwarming app offers up a friendly and engaging distraction from the stress of MRIs, chemotherapy and other cancer-related treatments. The Imaginary Friend Society app is currently being used in various cancer treatment centers across the US, including the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The app employs the use of various characters, all of which were designed specifically for the AR app. This includes 20+ characters that help de-mystify the disease and treatments, in an attempt to reduce anxiety and fear in children's lives. The characters also provide words of encouragement and help children find a silver lining as they receive treatment for various forms of cancer.
Image Credit: Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- AR Healthcare Apps
- Develop AR apps that provide a fun and engaging distraction from stressful healthcare treatments.
- Virtual Medical Assistants
- Create virtual assistants that can provide encouragement and support to patients during difficult medical treatments.
- Gamification of Healthcare
- Use gamification techniques to make healthcare treatments more engaging and less scary for young patients.
Where This Applies
- Healthcare Technology
- Develop innovative healthcare technology that can help children and adults cope with stressful medical treatments.
- Children's Healthcare
- Enhance the experience of healthcare for children by creating engaging and interactive tools and apps.
- Nonprofit Organizations
- Partner with nonprofits to create innovative digital tools and initiatives that can help improve the lives of those affected by disease.
