SpellBound Blog
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We create immersive AR tools for hospital care teams to encourage pediatric patient mobility & reduce the perception of pain.
SpellBound Blog
6M ago
Much has been published in support of the benefits of early mobility for adults. With children, the culture of the hospital really impacts how much early mobility is prioritized. A pediatric study reported that early mobility was more strongly supported in older pediatric patients and other studies support that increasing age is an independent predictor of early mobility.
But it is important to acknowledge that early mobility benefits young children and their developmental stages, as summarized in the article “Building a culture of early mobilization in the pediatric intensive care unit - a nu ..read more
SpellBound Blog
8M ago
The other day, as I was trying to keep my finger on the pulse of what’s happening in healthcare, I came across an article that described Dr. Valri’s work on pediatric pain as presented in sickle cell patients. Dr. Valri works to improve pain management for this at-risk and underserved patient population and was recognized with the NIH’s HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Interdisciplinary Collaboration award for building relationships across fields of study in her research. HEAL is an NIH-wide effort to address the opioid crisis and substance use disorder (SUD). The HEAL initiative ..read more
SpellBound Blog
9M ago
As part of celebrating Child Life Month, we are doing a giveaway of one of our most popular distraction tools, Game Pack. As part of contest entry, we asked child life specialists, “Where in your hospital could you most use a distraction tool like Game Pack?” So far, we have received more than 60 responses and were very interested to see a lot of commonalities and also some creative ideas.
Most common areas:
Waiting areas. This was no surprise as this was the purpose for which Game Pack was designed, but what was interesting is that many CLS's mentioned surgery or OR and the waits that happe ..read more
SpellBound Blog
10M ago
Written by Christina York, CEO
Every March we look forward to celebrating Child Life Month. Not just because SpellBound as a company is aligned with the values that child life specialists represent. Not just because we make tools for child life specialists. But because I am a parent who has experienced the value of child life specialists first hand with my own children. And every person who works at SpellBound who has children understands this as well. As parents, we have all experienced those tears before a shot, anxiety before an MRI or fear in the ER with our kids. Many of us at SpellBound ..read more
SpellBound Blog
10M ago
Yesterday, we had a big announcement: we partnered with eVideon to make Vibe Health the first smart room platform to deploy augmented reality gaming to patients.
We have been very excited to partner with such an innovative company that puts patient comfort first and prioritizes overall well-being for every patient. As I’ve been reflecting on how fortunate we are to find a partner that is so aligned with our values, I’ve thought a lot about how partnerships in healthcare can benefit patients. Here are the top three benefits to patients that our partnership brings:
Broader Access an ..read more
SpellBound Blog
11M ago
A valentines day program is a great way to make pediatric patients feel seen and special, but not every hospital has the means to run a valentine’s program. We’ve designed a free, printable valentine that has a 3D surprise: an augmented reality activity that can be triggered using a smartphone and a free app. The only thing you need to figure out is who is going to cut out and distribute the valentines to the children. Here’s how to get started:
Download the free printable PDF for the bear-themed valentine. There are four valentines per page and there are two versions of the free valentine ..read more
SpellBound Blog
11M ago
No one likes to miss out on holiday traditions, least of all children. But when a child is hospitalized, normalcy is out the window. The gift of Child Life is to bring some of that normalcy back, by introducing play into the hospital setting. Child Life also works hard to bring those moments of childhood joy to little patients who might miss out otherwise. One of my own joyful childhood memories is of receiving valentine’s at school and shuffling through them when I got home. Homemade or store-bought, I just loved reading the names of who it was from. Many hospitals run programs during valenti ..read more
SpellBound Blog
1y ago
Augmented reality (AR) use has increased steadily over the last 5 years and in 2022 over 1 billion people used mobile AR in one way or another. AR allows digital experiences to be added to the real world through the screen of a mobile device. AR is becoming a bigger part of our everyday lives, from games to shopping. A major benefit of AR in the healthcare setting is that it is immersive, but not too immersive. This means that pediatric patients can stay engaged with the real world, their providers, and their families while using AR. We’ve been putting AR in hospitals for a while now, and here ..read more
SpellBound Blog
1y ago
If you’ve ever had surgery, you’ll know that before you can leave, three requirements must be met: you have to eat and drink, you have to use the bathroom, and you have to move.
Mobility requirements have long been a standard of care in the adult world because of the proven benefits, but in pediatric settings, there can be more variation in how mobility is viewed. Mobility became a particular challenge during the pandemic when patients in isolation couldn’t leave their rooms and started experiencing the negative side effects of not moving, such as pneumonia, sepsis, and VTEs. And some departme ..read more
SpellBound Blog
1y ago
The average healthcare wait time in the US is a whopping 18 minutes and 13 seconds.
While many hospitals, clinics, and practices spend significant money to try to reduce that wait time, waiting can’t alway be avoided. So why does it matter so much when a patient has to wait?
Waiting experience impacts satisfaction, loyalty, and the quality of interaction that a provider has with a patient. Unpleasant waiting experiences contribute to negative impacts on the bottom line, such as losing patients to other providers and reduced satisfaction scores that can impact reimbursement. The waiting experie ..read more