'Addenbrooke's app was a lifeline when my son was critically ill'
A mother shares her experience using the 'My Picu Story' app while her son was in intensive care at Addenbrooke's Hospital. The app provided essential communication, medical terminology explanations, and reassurance during a stressful medical crisis.
Why it matters
Digital health tools can significantly improve the patient and family experience in high-stress hospital environments by bridging communication gaps.
Image caption, Claire said hospital staff were "amazing" but she would have been lost without the app for reassurance and explanation when Teddy was in intensive care
East of England technology correspondent Published 4 August 2026, 06:24 BST Having a child in intensive care can be scary, confusing and overwhelming for a parent - but could a new app developed by a hospital make the experience easier to navigate?
"I felt terrified. Actually terrified," recalls Claire, 34, when her son, Teddy, was admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (Picu) at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge last year.
"He was six weeks old, white as a ghost and his breathing was horrendous.
"One of the hardest things was losing control, having to watch someone else help your child," says the mum-of-four from Northstowe, Cambridgeshire.
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