little NIRVANA
Procedural comfort care for children
Enter the enchanting world of little NIRVANA: the innovative tool that supports children and their parents during medical procedures at the hospital, the doctor's or the dentist.
Little NIRVANA takes children on a magical adventure and turns fear and stress into confidence and calm. This makes medical visits less daunting and children dare to come back with peace of mind.
Supported through play with little NIRVANA
With the help of immersive augmented reality, interactive games and relaxation exercises – even with scents and vibrations – children are prepared in a playful way and distracted during injections, examinations or treatments. They are guided by Milo, their digital companion, who reassures and supports them step by step, from the waiting room to home.
Find out more about little NIRVANA:
Procedural comfort care in children: what does it involve?
For many children, a needle procedure or other medical treatment is an exciting and even frightening experience. And for good reason: pain, stress and anxiety can leave a deep impression during such procedures. The consequences are often greater than expected: from needle phobia to trauma and long-term stress, with impact well into adulthood.
Fortunately, it can be different. By putting procedural comfort care at the centre, you help children feel safe and reassured and build a future together without anxiety and stress around medical treatments.
- Positive psychological support: a calm environment, good preparation, open communication and building a bond of trust.
- Innovative technology: tools such as little NIRVANA – a combination of serious games and extended reality – distract children in a playful way.
- Pharmacological aids: things such as anaesthetic cream or plasters complement this approach and keep pain stimuli to a minimum.
Strengthening procedural comfort care with little NIRVANA
Little NIRVANA takes comfort care to the next level. Using game technology, children are prepared for a medical procedure in an interactive, multisensory way and distracted during a medical procedure. The tools are based on proven psychological principles and use breathing techniques. A virtual buddy – Milo – guides the child step by step, so that trust and comfort are central and built up throughout the care cycle.
Why choose procedural comfort care with little NIRVANA?
-
Scientifically grounded: research shows that anxiety and stress are significantly reduced compared to standard care.
-
Efficient: the procedure does not take longer than normal.
-
Broadly applicable: suitable for children from 2–3 years to young adolescents.
-
Open communication tool: the child remains involved and maintains control, while parent and caregiver can communicate openly.
-
Combinable: can be used alongside pharmacological aids such as anaesthetic cream or nitrous oxide.
-
Preventive and supportive: helps prevent anxiety and trauma and also supports already traumatised patients.
-
Care-enhancing: improves medical procedural care for all involved; training and education available via e-learning for caregivers and parents.
What makes little NIRVANA unique?
Multisensory
Stimulates different senses: seeing, hearing, smelling.
Flexible & modular
Deployable in a wide range of settings, from hospital to dentist.
Holistic
Attention to the wellbeing of the child, parents and caregivers.
The whole journey with little NIRVANA has meant that we can now simply have blood drawn with the anaesthetic plaster. And that Lars has really made the shift: I actually don't need to stress about it anymore.
Veronik – mum of Lars
Deploy or test little NIRVANA yourself in your hospital, department or practice?
Little NIRVANA was tested with more than 300 children, showing a significant reduction in anxiety and stress compared to standard care.
More than 95% of users – children, parents and caregivers – are highly satisfied.
An ongoing study with 1,200 children in 10+ hospitals is using AI to investigate how little NIRVANA can be deployed optimally.
About little NIRVANA
Little NIRVANA consists of a team of clinicians (child psychologist, paediatric dentists, paediatric nurses), researchers and engineers.
Want to know more about the origins, history, future and team of little NIRVANA?