By: Alia Petropoulosand Lisa Honeyford
Blinatumomab is an immunotherapy primarily used to treat certain types of blood cancers. Its administration necessitates a continuous 28-day infusion delivered on an outpatient basis that families typically can manage at home. Although a standard medical-grade bag is provided to families to hold the device, our clinical team at SickKids identified several design flaws, including poor fit and function for children, along with a distinctly “medical” appearance that can be stigmatizing.
To address these challenges, a grant proposal was submitted to the Garron Family Cancer Centre (GFCC) to improve the experience for families caring for children receiving blinatumomab. Our goal was to understand the challenges families faced going home with a 28-day blinatumomab infusion. We knew that the right carrying bag design could make a significant difference in the daily lives of these patients and maximize the activities they are able to participate in while receiving the medication
Once the project was successfully funded, a dedicated team was assembled, comprising of nurses, an oncologist, a child life specialist, and an industrial designer. Our approach included comprehensive desktop research, product testing, and personal interviews with families to understand their experiences with the current medical bag. The insights gathered after interviewing patients, families, and healthcare providers, led to the creation of a list of criteria for the ideal medical bag. The team then collaborated with an industrial designer to develop a blueprint for a prototype and secured a vendor to produce it for testing.
The new prototype bag was created as a backpack and tested with 10 pediatric patients receiving blinatumomab. Half of the participants began with the standard bag while the other half started with the prototype backpack. The team gathered feedback from frontline nurses and families who completed surveys assessing comfort, function, acceptability, and preference. Remarkably, 9 out of 10 participants preferred the prototype backpack, citing improved fit, comfort, and functionality.
“It really helped my child feel more independent during daily activities,” shared one parent, highlighting the emotional benefits of a well-designed product.
This valuable input guided the industrial designer in creating a second-generation prototype, enhancing the fit, security, and accessibility of the medication and pump, as well as improving how families could set up and wear the bag.
Looking ahead, the project team* is working to secure funding and create a process that will allow the backpack to be accessible to any Canadian child receiving blinatumomab. Canadian sites will be contacted when this step is complete, and backpacks are available for distribution. Future efforts will focus on expanding the availability of the backpack internationally.
[Watch the video The Blina Backpack: Changing how we deliver paediatric immunotherapy treatments]
*Project Team includes Alia Petropoulos, Chantal Campbell, Registered Nurse (RN), Lisa Honeyford and Sue Zupanec, Nurse Practitioner (NP).
About the Authors
Alia Petropoulos and Lisa Honeyford are Interprofessional Education Specialists at SickKids.
Editorial Team Note
Congratulations to the project team who were recently recognized for their innovative intervention, the Blinatumomab Backpack, by way of a SickKids President’s Award. The President’s Award was introduced in 2011 to recognize staff, teams, students and/or volunteers who demonstrate superior leadership and collaboration resulting in major contributions to the organization.