Care, prevention and sharing knowledge: my ideas with Pokémon
Ten personal ideas for exploring Pokémon in care, prevention, welcoming spaces and sharing knowledge.
English edition · Research cutoff: · English edition published · Updates
This investigation made me want to go further. As I explored the initiatives and studies, I also began to imagine what I could build from my experience as a doctor, particularly in oncology and radiotherapy.
Here I bring together the ideas I would like to explore further, design with the people involved and, in some cases, put into practice. They span care, prevention, welcoming spaces and sharing knowledge.
These are personal proposals at different stages of development. Their value remains to be explored, and carrying them out would require bringing together the right expertise and partners. The guide's research questions offer reference points for evaluating them.
On this page
Preparing children for care
AI-generated imagined scene illustrating these ideas. This is not an existing clinical device.
Discovering radiotherapy with a Pokémon companion
What I would like to propose
I would like to offer children a way to discover the places, people and stages of radiotherapy with a Pokémon companion of their choice. The character could ask the questions the child is wondering about, then accompany them from the first visit through to treatment sessions.
Where I would start
I would start with the story of a first visit, an interactive tour and a few resources shared with the radiation therapists. I would want to design them with a paediatric radiotherapy team, children and their parents.
What I would like to understand
I would want to understand what the child remembers, what still worries them and what the resource changes in conversations with their family and healthcare staff.
I would like to design a workshop in which a child discovers the radiotherapy mask through a familiar character. A figurine, a model and a story would help explain its purpose, offer a chance to look closely and invite questions.
Where I would start
I would start with a demonstration resource, designed with a paediatric radiotherapy team and families. The child could progress at their own pace, accompanied by a healthcare professional. Any adaptation of the actual equipment would remain the team's responsibility.
What I would like to understand
I would want to understand what this preparation helps them grasp, how they experience it and what it brings to conversations with the team.
I imagine a calm game in which the child and their companion watch a scene together for short periods. They could ask for a break and start again, discovering an instruction before encountering it during care.
Where I would start
I would start with a simulation outside the treatment room, with sequences adapted by the team. The companion would remain welcoming when the child moves or wants to stop.
What I would like to understand
I would want to observe comfort, understanding of the instruction and any transfer to a simulated session. The place of this resource in the care pathway would need to be discussed with professionals.
AI-generated imagined scene illustrating these ideas. This illustration is not a resource for learning first aid techniques.
An invitation to learn first aid
What I would like to propose
I would like Pikachu to bring together a desire to play and an opportunity to learn first aid. A loved character could make someone want to walk into a workshop, then give way to the explanations and techniques taught by the instructors.
Where I would start
I would develop an invitation and a workshop with a training organisation, using its equipment and teaching content. A short video could lead directly to an actual session.
What I would like to understand
I would want to know who this invitation reaches, who actually takes part and what they retain after the workshop. View counts alone would not answer these questions.
I would like to imagine stories and workshops in which preparing for an outing becomes a chance to talk about sun protection: finding shade, choosing suitable clothing and planning activities.
Where I would start
I would start with a family activity designed with professionals in the field. My experience in oncology could inform the questions to address, using concrete situations that families recognise.
What I would like to understand
I would want to understand which messages people remember and how they then use them in everyday life. We would also need to look at who the resource actually speaks to.
I would like to explore a pathway that turns curiosity about Pokémon into an opportunity to discover blood donation. The character could welcome questions, explain the stages and direct people to the appropriate professionals.
Where I would start
I would design this approach with a partner blood transfusion organisation. We could start with a local campaign and a resource answering common questions, while leaving everyone free to learn without donating.
What I would like to understand
I would want to know whether this pathway reaches new people and helps them take a first step. Donation criteria and the reception of donors would remain those of the partner organisation.
Explaining medicine with Pokémon on my YouTube channel
An AI illustration imagining my YouTube channel.
What I would like to propose
I would like to start with a character, a scene or a game mechanic to open up a medical question on my YouTube channel: sleep, memory, emotions, prevention or what happens during care.
Where I would start
I would start with a pilot episode linked to a chapter of the guide. I would show what the fiction helps us understand, then where the analogy ends, with accessible sources for further exploration.
What I would like to understand
I would want to gather what viewers understand, the questions the episode raises and their interest in learning more. Some episodes could then lead to a workshop or an experience.
AI-generated imagined scene illustrating these ideas. The visual effects suggest an interaction; the garden would be displayed on the screen.
Building a shared Pokémon garden
What I would like to propose
I would like to extend my Garden of Passages with a shared landscape where Pokémon could find a place. In a waiting room, anyone could contribute through an accessible gesture, or simply watch the garden come to life.
Where I would start
I would start from the existing prototype to observe how people using the service and the team engage with it. A Pokémon version could then be developed with a partner, keeping the experience easy to join and leave.
What I would like to understand
I would want to explore enjoyment, accessibility, interactions between people and the operational workload for the service. The landscape could retain continuity between visits, without individual rankings.
I would like to explore a meeting between Miroki and a Pokémon companion within an activity prepared with healthcare staff. The robot and the character could welcome people, demonstrate something, ask a question or accompany a discovery, each with an understandable role.
Where I would start
I would start with a very short scene: a welcome or an explanation, with a Pokémon on a screen or a physical resource that can be handled. This would extend my work on robots and characters in care settings.
What I would like to understand
I would want to understand how children interpret these two presences, whether they complement each other and what they bring to the proposed activity.
In time, I would like to bring several of these ideas together in a joint proposal with The Pokémon Company or its partners. The programme could connect preparation at home, arrival at the service, resources throughout the care pathway and support for loved ones.
Where I would start
I would choose a first use in paediatric radiotherapy to bring together a clinical team, families, creators and evaluation expertise. The first lessons would then guide adaptations for other institutions.
What I would like to understand
I would want to understand what works for whom, under what conditions and with what resources. The ambition would be to gradually build a useful, adaptable programme from specific situations.
This guide also opens up ideas I would like to develop with The Pokémon Company or its partners. As a doctor, I am particularly interested in supporting people with cancer, especially in preparing children for radiotherapy and improving their experience of care.
If these ideas resonate with your projects, or if you know someone who knows someone at The Pokémon Company… I would love to talk. There might be a great team waiting to come together.
