Every year at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, (or SickKids) they are treating thousands of children with cancer. One of worst parts of what these young patients have to go through is pain. To help combat it, the hospital needs their patients to keep a daily record of exactly how they are feeling. Unfortunately, after multiple treatments, many patients are too tired to keep detailed reports. Unless this data is collected daily, it is virtually useless. SickKids approached us to help find a creative solution to collect this data every day. And with that, the Pain Squad Mobile App was born.
Twice a day patients received an alert telling them to complete their report. With a flick of the finger, they could easily identify exactly where and how much it hurt, plus which medications were helping. To ensure patients would consistently file their reports, we built in an engaging reward and graduation structure. After completing 3 reports in a row, recruits would receive a motivational video featuring an actor from Canada’s top police dramas, Flashpoint and Rookie Blue. Due to its success the App is now being deployed to four other Canadian hospitals and will soon be available everywhere.