Digitally supporting kids impacted by cancer

Camp Quality gives children facing cancer the chance to be kids again. Its services and programmes are created specifically to support children aged up to 15 years, who are dealing with their own cancer diagnosis, or the diagnosis of someone they love. Camp Quality provides fun experiences, education, specialised cancer care, counselling and support for children, siblings and parents at every stage of the cancer experience.

A cancer diagnosis is devastating for everyone involved and is particularly difficult for young children, many of whom do not understand what is happening and why they are undergoing often painful and relentless treatment. That’s why Camp Quality provides services and programmes that are specifically designed to support and inform children who are dealing with their own cancer diagnosis, or the diagnosis of a loved one.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, hosting face-to-face camps, in-school education programmes and in-hospital puppet experiences became impossible. Camp Quality wanted to find a way to virtually engage and support children and their families during this period of isolation. It also sought to fill a gap in the cancer education space, which would allow kids to get credible and engaging information anywhere, particularly in rural areas.

“Children and their families impacted by a cancer diagnosis experience confusion, anxiety and fear. They face unfamiliar medical procedures and clinical environments, and it is a very emotional and difficult time for every member of the family,” explains Deborah Thomas, CEO at Camp Quality. “Explaining cancer to young children can be hard for parents dealing with the impacts of a cancer diagnosis. That’s where Camp Quality’s Kids’ Guide to Cancer app steps in to provide credible and age-appropriate information to support children through this experience.”

Camp Quality and long-time innovation partner Fujitsu Australia undertook a human-centered design workshop in Fujitsu’s DTC. The workshop explored potential solutions and the idea of adding interactive elements and augmented reality to an educational application to engage and empower children facing cancer.

The app was then co-designed by the Fujitsu Digital Transformation Services and Camp Quality teams in Australia as part of Fujitsu’s Innovation Incubator programme and developed by a gender-balanced team in Fujitsu’s Global Delivery Centre of Excellence in Poland.

“The app enables us to connect to thousands of children facing cancer in a cost-effective way that can increase reach and scale effectively to all areas including rural Australia, and even beyond to other countries,” adds Thomas. “Fujitsu’s agility, compassion, diversity and technical skills combined, bring this unique and important app to life during a time of great uncertainty and challenges, during the global COVID-19 pandemic.”

The interactive and educational Kids’ Guide to Cancer app is supplied as a free service to all users, answers the most common questions children have regarding cancer, and includes audio and text information about cancer, hospitals, medicines, treatments and people who can help. Animated stories and an augmented reality character bring the app to life. The app also connects adult users with other Camp Quality support services, including phone counselling and the Primary School Cancer Education Programme.

From a business perspective, Camp Quality now has better insights into app building and use, enabling it to streamline support provision. It has also been designed to allow Camp Quality to publish instant edits in the future, ensuring up-to-date information will always be in the hands of families.

“Fujitsu’s diverse global team were highly committed and passionate about this project, working together effectively to reach children in need,” concludes Thomas. “Helping children, regardless of their location or situation, is the core aim of the Kids’ Guide to Cancer app. Fujitsu has helped attain that goal with an excellent and easy-to-use app.”