What is the challenge your project is going to address and how does it connect to the theme?

Working as a clinical nurse specialist, I have noticed throughout my specialist role that there is a real gap in teaching resources that are not affiliated with pharmacological companies or child friendly.

I am currently in the final stages of publishing a children’s picture book for families dealing with parental terminal prognosis. Whilst this has been an entirely personal journey following the death of a close friend, I realised that I could apply my new found skills to my day job and create the resources I crave.

I have the manuscript and a basic storyboard for a rhyming children’s picture book around peak flow already. I have ideas for further stories around inhaler technique, ICS action and asthma itself based around analogies I use in consultation.

I would like to back these tactile resources with an App which can support learning and encourage self-management, for example, logging peak flow readings.

What does your project aim to achieve?

My project aims to bring age-appropriate and evidence-based resources to the huge population (11% in the UK) of children with asthma. I hope that it would be a resource that can be used by clinicians but also taken home or purchased by parents/carers for their own use and to learn about asthma together.

Currently there are minimal resources for CYP and families living with asthma, and those that are available are often affiliated with drug companies, or very clinical with little creative content. I would like to create anatomically and clinically evidence-based but creative and child-friendly books which can be supported with digital technology.

The overall aim would be to bring the learning home- these stories could be purchased by a parent wishing to learn more with their child, or be given on discharge or during a clinic along with the resources (eg a peak flow meter). The app would support.

How will the project be delivered?

Information gathering
I have a pool of  clinicians, children and families with asthma and wheeze to tap into, in terms of market research and needs/gap analysis.

Resource Development

I already have the manuscript and the means to create the illustrations / format the book digitally. What I need to bring this to life is funding, the ability to gather information and collect feedback legitimately within an organisation.

Digital media

The aim for this is to support the tactile resources, with some interactivity around self-management. I would need to engage support for the digital aspect of this project.

I would like to see how we can stop using so many paper resources and “go digital”

Impact 

I would consider the project successful if it educates CYP/families on the topics, for example, using peak flow effectively, understanding asthma or improved inhaler technique. I plan to measure pre and post understanding, with gifted copies.

How is your project going to share learning?

• Gauging what CYP need from tactile to digital. We often assume their desire focuses on high-tech, social media based resource but this often isn’t what is craved.
• Engaging digital technology with both digital and manual devices/resources for asthma
• Measuring the impact for supporting self-management and education in one of the most common childhood long-term condition could be applicable to many others.
• Collecting qualitative data on the use and impact of resources could establish whether it is a tool that could help reduce health inequalities in a condition with so many preventable deaths even in 2022. The tactile resources function alone and digital support so that families with limited access to digital media can still benefit
• Sharing learning around the process may help other unlikely project managers (ie.on-the-ground clinicians like myself)
• I have had interest & expressions of support from Asthma+Lung UK and others who may be able to support/share the findings