Smart Design Will Reduce Noise in UNM Hospital’s Critical Care Tower
By Makenzie McNeill
Ease of Access
Children’s Oncology Group Develops App for Pediatric Cancer Patients' Families at UNMH
When a child receives a cancer diagnosis, patients and their families embark on a traumatic journey, one that can become even more overwhelming as they navigate the sea of information related to pediatric cancer care.
That’s where the new COG KidsCare App comes in. The Children’s Oncology Group (COG) developed this novel resource specifically to serve pediatric cancer patients and their families.
The mobile app will be available to all of its member institutions, including the Division of Pediatric Oncology at The University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH). The Hyundai Hope on Wheels Grant funded the project.
Set to launch in early 2023, the app will be available in English and Spanish and free to download on both Apple and Android devices.
The UNMH Pediatric Oncology team is ready to see how this new tool will better serve patients and their loved ones.
“In the age of smartphones, this is a progressive moment for our team,” said Esther Lucero, RN, UNMH pediatric oncology nursing specialist. “We want our patients and families who get treated here to have easy access to the information they need.”
In the age of smartphones, this is a progressive moment for our team. We want our patients and families who get treated here to have easy access to the information they need.
Families of cancer patients have a lot to juggle: keeping track of appointments, viewing treatment plans and managing medications, to name a few. A mountain of paperwork and documentation usually accompanies this delicate balancing act.
By consolidating all that information into a mobile app – accessible anytime, anywhere – patients and their families can reach the resources they need more effectively.
“Normally. our team would give our patients a binder that contained everything that they need to know,” said Kristel Wintheiser, UNMH pediatric oncology nurse manager. “Instead, the KidsCare App will take all of that information and make it easily available in their hands. I think this will be very helpful for our families.”
Additionally, the app will allow patients to contact specific members of their oncology team when necessary.
“We sometimes have difficulty with our patients reaching the right people at the right time,” Lucero said. “They might have an emergent situation and need to contact the correct staff. The app will make it easy for them to have efficient access to their oncology team.”
Childhood cancer is a path that no family ever hopes to walk. The KidsCare App is one way that the UNMH Pediatric Oncology team plans to serve and support the families entrusted into their care.
“Our families’ lives are turned upside down when their child is diagnosed with cancer,” Wintheiser said. “We are always looking to help make the journey easier for them in a variety of ways. The app does just that by putting essential information at their fingertips.”