Reggeborgh Research Fellow Mattiènne wants to use technology to improve care for children with asthma
Mattiènne van de Kamp is a Technical Physician in the Paediatrics Department at Medisch Spectrum Twente (MST) and a Reggeborgh Research Fellow. Based in Enschede, he works daily to improve care for children with asthma. And that is sorely needed: one in ten children in the Netherlands has asthma. ‘This can have a huge impact on a child's life,’ says Mattiènne. "They often sleep poorly, miss school days and are less able to participate in sports and games. In severe cases, they even have to be admitted to hospital.
Direct contact with the specialist
By making smart use of technology, Mattiènne and his team are working on a new way of providing care. Children measure their health at home with smart devices and stay in contact with their practitioner via the Puffer app, which they developed themselves.
‘With the Puffer app, we can identify deterioration earlier and intervene more quickly. This prevents hospital admissions and allows us to make a real difference when it matters most.’
- Mattiènne van der Kamp
This new way of providing care offers many advantages for both children and parents. They don't have to visit the hospital as often, and children and parents learn to understand asthma better so that they know what to do if it threatens to worsen. This gives them more confidence to manage the asthma themselves. At the same time, we as healthcare providers have a better overview of what is happening at home."
Children on the bouncy castle
What drives Mattiènne is the combination of care and innovation. ‘I really have the best job there is. On the one hand, as a healthcare professional, I see my own patients, children with asthma, so I know exactly what their needs are. On the other hand, I work on technological innovations that advance healthcare.’
A good example is the exercise lab at MST. There, children jump on a bouncy castle in the cold air to measure how their lungs respond. All the data obtained from this is viewed and processed on the computer. This helps to choose the right treatment together with the child and the parents.
Gaining experience at VolkerWessels
As a Reggeborgh Research Fellow, Mattiènne has the opportunity to really put his research on the map and develop himself further. ‘I spent a few days with directors at VolkerWessels to learn more about entrepreneurship. That experience helps me to strengthen my research projects.’
Publicity also plays a role: ‘Thanks to the fellowship, we were able to share our results via 1Twente and Tubantia. We even received media training at RTV Oost, where we learned how to convey our message powerfully. That's important, because the more people know what we do, the greater the impact we can make.’
Care of the future
Together with the other fellows, Mattiènne is building a network of young researchers who want to make a difference in the Twente region. ‘We learn a lot from each other and work together on the care of the future.’
And it's going well: ‘Thanks to the Puffer app and our new way of working, we have managed to halve the number of hospital admissions for children with asthma. That literally gives families back a piece of their lives. By continuing to do this, we ensure that these children, and their lungs, can grow and develop optimally and that they can grow old in good health.’
The next step? ‘We want to conduct further research to make healthcare even more personalised. Determining the best treatment for each child – that is our dream. And we are well on our way.’