Comfort care for children

Procedural comfort care is not new, but it is receiving increasing attention. And rightly so: comfort care helps reduce stress in children during medical procedures and minimises the risk of traumatic experiences. Little NIRVANA is an innovative and holistic solution that helps children, parents and caregivers turn medical procedures into a positive experience. Building trust is key.

What is procedural comfort care for children?

With needle procedures and other medical procedures, it is important to prevent or reduce pain, stress and anxiety in children as much as possible. After all, children are not little adults: they experience procedures differently and have their own ways of coping with them (coping strategies). A child-centred approach is therefore needed, tailored to the child's age, personality and developmental level. Comfort care helps to reassure children and reduce their anxiety and pain experience.

To support caregivers and parents in providing comfort care, we developed two e-learnings together with UZ Leuven and PXL:

Procedural comfort care for children – for caregivers

Preparing for a hospital admission or medical procedure – for parents

How does little NIRVANA support procedural care in children?

Little NIRVANA uses game technology to prepare and distract children aged 2 to 12 in a playful and multisensory way. The virtual world is visualised through Augmented Reality (AR), where digital images and information are added to the real world. Unlike Virtual Reality (VR), contact with the environment — such as parents and caregivers — is maintained.

Thanks to the "open" visualisation technology, the environment remains visible to the child, allowing child and caregiver to communicate visually and auditorily. This keeps the child in control and creates a safe, shared virtual world in which they can experience adventures together.

Little NIRVANA's tools can also be combined well with local anaesthesia and other comfort measures.

Proven approach

Our approach is based on the most recent insights in comfort care and several proven psychological principles such as:

Active and passive distraction
Creating connection and trust
Applying breathing techniques

Curious what little NIRVANA means for your hospital or dental practice?

How does little Nirvana work?

Little NIRVANA is a modular toolkit consisting of several components that can be used before, during and after a medical procedure;

Before the procedure

an app with breathing exercises and distraction in the waiting room. The child gets to know Milo, the digital buddy.

During the procedure

an immersive AR game that actively engages and distracts the child.

After the procedure

a home app for aftercare, so the child can look forward to the next treatment with confidence.

Meet Milo

Throughout the entire cycle, Milo, the virtual buddy, guides children through visual and auditory support.

Innovative controllers that respond to breathing

There are two different controllers that can be used during various medical procedures depending on the position of the patient.

Magic Wand

This controller is held with one hand and is used during sitting or semi-reclined procedures where one arm is needed for the medical procedure (such as needle procedures in the arm).

Belly Cradle

This controller is placed on the abdomen and held with two hands. It is suitable for use in a lying or semi-reclined position, for example during dental treatments or other procedures that do not take place in the arm or hand (such as accessing a port catheter).

Little Nirvana tailored to every room

The visualisation of the AR game is modular and is chosen based on logistical possibilities such as the size of the treatment room or the need for mobility. You can choose between visualisation via

An augmented reality headset
A TV (or large screen)
A hologram (for the visualisation of Milo) in combination with a TV/screen
A mobile trolley with hologram and TV

Applicable to a wide range of medical procedures

Thanks to its modular design and proven powerful impact, little NIRVANA can be used during comfort care for virtually all "awake" procedures in children aged 2 to 12, such as wound care, orthodontics, etc. Some examples of frequently occurring procedures are:

Comfort care at the dentist

Did you know that 30% of young children are afraid of the dentist? Little NIRVANA supports children during dental procedures. The goal is to help children focus on their breathing and provide maximum distraction through an interactive game fully tailored to a dental clinical flow. For these procedures, the toolkit with the headset and belly cradle is usually chosen. Both are well outside the dentist's working area, so the way of working is not affected. A usability study has shown that this setup is particularly appreciated by parents, patients and dentists.

Comfort care during simple needle procedures

Little NIRVANA can be used during simple needle procedures in various medical settings such as blood draws or vaccinations in hospital, at home or at school. The experience revolves around distraction, calm breathing and positive reinforcement. Studies have shown that little NIRVANA significantly reduces children's distress during blood draws in hospital and vaccinations at school.

Comfort care during complex needle procedures

Little NIRVANA can be used during complex needle procedures that require additional pharmacological support such as nitrous oxide. Little NIRVANA is then used as a distraction tool during the placement of the gas mask and then as a distraction during the procedure. The use of nitrous oxide and little NIRVANA is fully complementary and can be used for, e.g., accessing port catheters, blood draws in highly anxious children…

Support during long-term and recurring treatments

During long-term or recurring treatments (such as oncological treatment), little NIRVANA can be used as a fixed and trusted tool during stressful procedures. The goal is to build trust by offering a familiar and safe world throughout the entire care journey. Little NIRVANA can then be used during needle procedures, dental care, gas induction…

Support during anaesthesia

Little NIRVANA can be used as a distraction tool during the placement of a gas mask. This can be during a dental visit, but also for other procedures where gas administration is desirable, such as administering nitrous oxide to highly anxious children, in preparation for general anaesthesia, etc.

Want to know more about the various studies, research and sources?

Questions about procedural comfort care with little NIRVANA

Currently, little NIRVANA is available in 5 languages: Flemish, Dutch, French, English and Estonian. The number of available languages is continuously being expanded.

No, no prior knowledge is required. Little NIRVANA is very user-friendly and requires minimal training for caregivers and no training at all for the user.

Results show that the duration of the procedure — even on first use — is not affected by the use of little NIRVANA. With repeated procedures, it is likely that time can be saved, as there may be less need for additional (psychological and/or pharmacological) support.