Innovator profile: Little Journey iIftherewereanytearsm itwaswhenItriedto takethevirtualrealit headsetoffhimpj The Little Journey app has been used 200 times in the UK across 46 hospitals in the UK and ROI E very year, more than 500,000 children in the UK undergo surgery.1 Higher levels of preoperative anxiety have been associated with an increased risk of postoperative delirium, anxiety-related negative behaviour changes, postoperative pain and increased analgesia use.2 Children undergoing anaesthesia and surgery often develop intense anxiety and fear in the preoperative holding area and during induction of anaesthesia.2 Studies involving inpatients suggested hospitalisation and surgery were traumatic to children, leading to behavioural problems such as separation anxiety, eating disturbances, bed-wetting and nightmares.3 This can have negative socio-economic effects with an increased number of days of school missed and reduced quality of life. Further to this, children can develop healthcare avoidance behaviour leading to delays in presentation later in life, meaning later diagnosis and initiation of treatment. Leaflets were traditionally used to help prepare children for surgery, but they often didnt engage children as much as an app with gamification techniques employed. A little journey one year on Little Journey is a virtual reality smartphone app and optional headset that is revolutionising the way children (3-12 years old) and their families are prepared for hospital medical procedures including dental services, radiotherapy and paediatric day unit and day-case surgery. It enables children to visit the day case ward, anaesthetic and recovery rooms and interact with staff and equipment theyll see on the day of their procedure. It provides information for family members as well. DiscovertheLittleJourneyapp The app can be tailored to any hospital and is being developed in multiple languages, so wherever the child is having an operation, they can explore the actual rooms theyll see on the day of surgery. Little Journey offers a cardboard virtual reality headset alongside the smartphone app to create an immersive experience without the need for an expensive device. In 2019/20 we have supported the company to conduct an independent health economic evaluation to understand the benefits achieved using the Little Journey app to inform the potential return on investment and opportunities for a wider rollout. Using these data, we have developed materials to readily articulate the cost-benefit analysis. Since September 2019, our commercial team has been working in close partnership with Little Sparks Hospital to inform the business strategy, develop and broker international relations including showcasing UptakeoftheLittleJourneyapp acrosstheUK the Little Journey app during a Department of Investment and Trade visit to China (December 2019) and as co-applicants for grant submissions to support organisational scalability and wider rollout. Currently, 46 hospitals are using Little Journey across the UK and Republic of Ireland. The app has Tanner, S., (2007). Trends in childrens surgery in England. Archives of disease in childhood. 92(8), 651-658. 1 Kain, Z. et al., (2006). Preoperative anxiety, postoperative pain, and behavioral recovery in young children undergoing surgery. Pediatrics. 118, 651-658. 2 Kain, Z., et al., (1996). Preoperative anxiety in children. Predictors and outcomes. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. 150, 1238-1245. 3 References been used more than 22,000 times in the UK and is on average used seven times per user for a total of 49 minutes. The app is being developed in multiple languages and is already being used internationally in 41 countries and the company is in discussions with several networked hospitals to provide the app to children worldwide. According to the cost-benefit analysis, every 1 invested in Little Journey is estimated to deliver between 3.03 and 3.50 of benefit within the health and care system and a further 5.12 to 6 in social benefits. Not only did this make his experience infinitely better, but it made our experience as parents that much better seeing him happy. If there were any tears, it was when I tried to take the virtual reality headset off him, said Matt, dad of three-year-old Alexander. Supportingyou There are a wide range of resources on our website tailored to support clinicians in the Share this article innovation journey. Visit EasternAHSN.org Find out more about Little Sparks Hospital and Little Journey at littlesparkshospital.com