Young patients diagnosed with leukemia at the Ruth Rappaport Children’s Hospital of Rambam Health Care Campus (Rambam) in Haifa, Israel now have an inventive companion in their journey towards recovery: an app that transforms the child’s cancer treatment into an interactive, game-like environment.
“TaDam” is a name that resonates, reminding one of the “ta-da!” following eye-opening magic tricks. Now, “TaDam” is a new app developed to assist young cancer patients and their families in understanding and managing the complex landscape of leukemia treatment. Designed to appeal to children, the app employs familiar gaming elements such as avatars, challenges, and rewarding tasks, all of which immerse users in an engaging narrative. Through this digital experience, “TaDam” aims to empower patients and parents, fostering active participation in the treatment process. The app was recently unveiled at the Joan and Sanford Weil Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation in the Ruth Rappaport Children’s Hospital at Rambam.
A Collaborative Development for a Critical Need
Dr. Nira Arad-Cohen, director of the Pediatric Leukemia Service at Rambam, highlights the overwhelming nature of a leukemia diagnosis and the subsequent treatment initiation, noting the necessity of a tailored informational guidebook for affected families. “The huge amounts of information, along with the accompanying shock at the moment they receive news of their child’s diagnosis, makes it difficult for parents, and sometimes also their children, to internalize everything they are about to face at that moment.” Her insights into these challenges led to development of the “TaDam” app.
The app was designed by Daniela Rasielski, an entrepreneur and technology innovation consultant, and Moshe Yaakov, who was able to turn Arad-Cohen’s vision into a practical app. Working closely with the department’s care team, they ensured the suitability of the app for various age groups and treatment stages. The app is dynamically structured, with different content layers and interactive guides that take young patients and their families through their respective treatment paths.
Significant thought and hundreds of hours went into every detail of the project, with patient welfare as the priority. The name “TaDam” cleverly combines the Hebrew words for “cell” and “blood,” forming a word that resonates universally. “We intentionally chose this recognizable sound, calling it ‘ta-dam’ in both Hebrew and English,” says Rasielski.
In the photo (L-R): Christine Ashkar, Dr. Nira Arad-Cohen, and Dr. Shifra Ash.
Photography: Rambam HCC
Encompassing Educational and Emotional Support
Immediate access to “TaDam” begins once the young patients registers. The patient is invited to enter one of the app’s three age-specific virtual worlds. Each world has action-packed games that encourage the child to complete different stages by earning points and completing challenges. But the app is more than just entertainment, throughout the “play” the children receive essential care instructions and medical explanations, and are even introduced to the “avatars” of their doctors, to help them familiarize themselves with the personnel surrounding them and to understand their treatment environment better.
Empowering Caregivers through Information
The app also includes a version for parents, providing them with a dynamic treatment roadmap. This feature allows parents to understand upcoming medical procedures and equips them with video tutorials from hospital staff on various aspects of care management, thus transforming the parents into proactive caregivers.
A Vision for Empowerment and Engagement
Rasielski emphasizes the importance of creating a supportive tool that promotes patient empowerment through understanding and engagement. “The creation of ‘TaDam’ was based on a meticulous design process involving healthcare professionals and leveraging advanced security measures to protect patient data.”
She continues, “With the assistance of Christine Ashkar, a nurse and pediatric leukemia coordinator at Rambam, we developed a solution that is both accessible and efficient for patients and staff. We confronted the most challenging news parents can receive—their child’s cancer diagnosis—and tailored the content to fit their language and cultural background. Our aim was to infuse a spectrum of color and motion into the difficult battle against the disease, making both the children and their parents active participants in the recovery journey.”
Dr. Shifra Ash, director of Joan and Sanford Weil Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation at Rambam, where the app was just launched, remarks, “The ‘TaDam’ app represents a natural evolution in doctor-patient communication and is a pioneering model in Israel. Its use optimizes the transfer of knowledge to patients and their families, alleviates the pressures of uncertainty, and empowers patients to gain control and foster better cooperation. Future versions of the app may offer a comprehensive personal service package, including features like completing forms, physician chat, a portal for exercising social rights, enhanced connectivity for online games with peers in the ward, and integration with the hospital’s computer systems. The app’s extensive development possibilities make it a rich source of accessible content for our patients, poised to adapt to future innovations.”
An article based on this press release also appeared in the Jerusalem Post.
In the photos: The “TaDam” app.
Photography: Rambam HCC
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