Hospital Hero turns children’s hospital nerves into confidence
For many children, a hospital visit begins long before they step through the doors, often with a knot of uncertainty forming at home. Hospital Hero, a Leiden-born initiative, set out to change that by giving young patients the tools to understand and prepare for their care. Developed within the region’s thriving healthcare innovation ecosystem, the app tackles a simple but powerful question: what if reducing anxiety starts long before the appointment itself?
A calmer start to care
The idea for Hospital Hero began when paediatric nurse Nicole Donkel noticed that children’s worries often appeared long before they arrived at the clinic. Much of this anxiety stemmed from uncertainty about what would happen during an appointment.
To address this, Donkel and a colleague developed Hospital Hero, an app that guides children and their families through upcoming medical visits. The app includes interactive stories, child-friendly explanations of procedures, and visual step-by-step pathways showing what a hospital visit will look like.
Built in co-creation with nurses, medical pedagogical professionals, doctors, and the families themselves, the tool offers age-appropriate explanations and interactive preparation. Children can explore procedures in advance, ask questions, and build familiarity with their care journey, helping them enter appointments feeling more secure and informed.
An innovative approach to rethinking the patient journey
Hospital Hero brings a fresh perspective to paediatric healthcare by focusing on emotional readiness rather than treatment protocols alone. While many digital tools aim to optimise clinical processes, this initiative centres on the young patient's lived experience.
Its co-creation model ensures that the app aligns with clinical workflows and speaks directly to the concerns of children and caregivers. According to founders Nicole and Charlotte, “hospitals using Hospital Hero see that children arrive better prepared and noticeably less anxious. Parents describe feeling more informed, which helps them in supporting their child and attending hospital visits with more confidence. Clinicians
experience calmer consultations and smoother workflows, especially in departments where procedures can be overwhelming for young patients.”
By delivering clear, accessible guidance, it helps reduce stress, encourages curiosity, and supports smoother interactions between families and healthcare teams. The result is a more human-centred approach in which digital support strengthens, rather than replaces, real-world care relationships.
Leiden roots: the university connection
Hospital Hero is closely connected to Leiden University, where founder Charlotte Poot completed both her studies and her PhD at the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC).
Her academic background informed her understanding of how preparation shapes children’s experiences of care: “Throughout my academic career in digital health, I’ve been driven to create impact that truly matters by understanding people’s needs, co-creating solutions, and bridging research with practice. I love connecting people and turning real needs into ideas, and ideas into reality.”
The initiative also benefits from the wider Leiden innovation ecosystem, where strong ties between LUMC researchers, clinicians, and start-up programmes help transform research insights into practical solutions. This network has supported Hospital Hero’s development from an academic insight into a tool that meets real needs in hospitals and families’ homes.
Building a braver future for young patients
Hospital Hero is now moving into a new phase focused on widening its reach and deepening its impact in children’s healthcare. The app is already in use at multiple hospitals, including LUMC and Franciscus Gasthuis & Vlietland, and more than 5,000 children have used it to prepare for appointments. The team is now working with additional clinical partners to introduce the platform into new departments, including radiology and diagnostic care.
Looking ahead, the company aims to offer multilingual guidance for parents, streamline implementation so hospitals can customise content more easily, and strengthen partnerships to make the tool available in more Dutch healthcare settings. By expanding both its reach and functionality, Hospital Hero continues to build on its Leiden foundations — helping ensure that a growing number of young patients enter the hospital with clarity and confidence.
Written by Lyna Meyrer
