When healthcare professionals’ ideas become concrete solutions: a comparative look at Pikidou and T-OUT & Romain Gombert (Craft & Care).
Because they are closest to patients, their practices, and their needs, healthcare professionals’ ideas and insights have immense innovative potential – provided they are encouraged, listened to, supported, and put into action.
This is the ambition behind our commitment through the #ChallengeInnovation, calls for projects initiated and managed within the APHP.Sorbonne University Hospital Group: to uncover these ideas from the field and empower them to become reality. Today, we are proud to share the story of two projects that illustrate this conviction: Pikidou, conceived and led by Cécile Combes, and T-OUT, conceived and led by Sandrine Bottius and now continued by Natasha Figueiredo.
Two unique projects, two distinct contexts, two different editions of the Challenges Innovation , but the same ambition: to meet concrete needs with simple, human, and effective solutions. Both were supported by #LallianSe, received financial backing, and were co-developed with the same partner, Romain Gombert, founder of Craft & Care.
Pikidou: A fun cactus to ease the stress of pediatric care
Winner of the Challenge Innovation #2 in 2021, Cécile Combes, a physiotherapist at the Cystic Fibrosis Resource and Competence Center of the Pediatric Pulmonology Department at Hôpital Armand-Trousseau (#APHP), is the creator of the #Pikidou project.
Pikidou was born from a simple observation:
«Recreational tools, although they exist, are often put away and therefore underutilized. I wanted to make them visible, accessible, and above all, fun for children. » Cécile Combes
From this observation, an idea was born: a mobile, colorful, and expressive cactus-shaped distraction tower. Incorporating nitrous oxide (MEOPA) for treatment, it offers playful distractions attached to its “spines,” chosen directly by the children. Transforming what is often an anxiety-inducing moment into a gentler experience, Pikidou has become much more than a device: it’s a daily companion for hospitalized children.
« Pikidou is now part of the service and evolves with the seasons. Children with chronic illnesses are delighted to see him change and come to treatment more readily. He’s a real icebreaker!» Cécile Combes
How did the idea become a reality?
Thanks to a grant of €10,000 and support from LallianSe valued at €13,500, Cécile was able to turn an initial idea into a device used daily in her department.
To bring this idea to fruition, LallianSe acted as a catalyst by connecting her with Romain Gombert.
An engineer and designer, Romain specializes in medical engineering and innovation management. After leading the #LivingLab at the Paris Brain Institute (#ICM) until 2021, he founded Craft & Care, an organization dedicated to the design and development of healthcare innovations at the intersection of design, technology, and clinical practice. Having been connected with LallianSe for several years at the Pitié-Salpêtrière site, where Romain’s activities at the ICM were located, Romain’s involvement seemed an obvious choice when Cécile expressed her need. It was an intuitive understanding of the potential for collaboration, both operational and personal, which quickly materialized.
« LallianSe was my very first partner, the one who enabled me to turn an idea into reality and lay the foundations for what is now Craft & Care », says Romain Gombert.
With him, Cécile discovered the prototyping process, the technical constraints, and the solutions adapted to a healthcare environment.
Beyond the result, this collaboration illustrates the strength of the bond between healthcare professional and expert: a pragmatic and human co-creation, where each idea takes shape through mutual understanding and a convergence of need and feasibility.
« Communication with Romain was easy and fluid. His relational and technical knowledge allowed us to move quickly. He made me different design proposals and even invited me to attend the laser cutting of the plexiglass in a Parisian workshop: it was fascinating ! », she recalls.
What is the concrete impact for patients and staff?
The impact is tangible: children take ownership of the character, become attached to it, and smile even before their treatment begins. The project has become a reality!
«Since Pikidou was introduced, children come to the first aid station more willingly, simply to see it or choose their favorite toy. The MEOPA is hidden in the cactus, which makes the experience less medical and more playful. » Cécile Combes.
The system has also changed the team dynamic: it fosters communication, camaraderie, and gives renewed meaning to the moments shared with the young patients. In an often hectic environment, Pikidou brings a touch of lightness and humanity.
And now?
The adventure doesn’t end there. Presented at the AP-HP Innovation Day and registered with the #OTTPI (AP-HP Technology Transfer & Innovation Hub), Pikidou is now attracting the interest of external stakeholders. Discussions have begun with companies to explore wider distribution, and Cécile is considering an impact study to scientifically validate its added value.
« For my part, I no longer miss any calls for projects because you only win if you play… » explains Cécile.
Son expérience est devenue une source d’inspiration pour ses pairs.
« The Challenge Innovation is a huge facilitator of turning dreams into reality. Without LallianSe, Pikidou would not exist in this form. »
What if healthcare innovation reshaped the hospital?
Beyond the technology itself, Pikidou illustrates a fundamental dynamic: that of a hospital transforming itself through its own teams. The involvement of healthcare professionals in innovation goes beyond simply implementing projects; it renews the culture, practices, and perspective on care. Encouraging innovation is also essential for the well-being of healthcare professionals, beyond just the patients themselves!
Why not consider hospital innovation as also stemming from ideas born on the ground and nurtured by the patient relationship? Can the involvement of healthcare professionals in innovation truly change the way the hospital operates?
Before that, let’s discover another winning project of the Challenge Innovation, which shares this same ambition to rethink the patient journey through the creativity and commitment of its teams: T-OUT.
T-OUT: A digital escape game to support the transition from pediatric to adult care
Winner of the Grand Prize at the Challenge Innovation #3 in 2022, T-OUT is a digital escape game conceived by Sandrine Bottius, then a care pathway coordinator in the pediatric-to-adult transition service at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital (AP-HP), now led by Natasha Figueiredo.
Their ambition? To support adolescents with chronic illnesses through a key stage in their care journey: the transition from pediatric to adult care. This pivotal moment, often dreaded by patients and a source of disruptions in their care pathway, inspired Sandrine:
« I saw firsthand the difficulties faced by young patients during their transition to adult care. I had this somewhat unusual idea of using games to address a very serious issue: preventing disruptions in healthcare pathways. »
Thus was born T-OUT, a digital escape game that is fun, educational and therapeutic, designed to help young people understand, anticipate and experience this transition more serenely.
How did the idea become a reality?
Winner of the Grand Prize at the Challenge Innovation #3, T-OUT received a grant of €12,000 and support from LallianSe worth approximately €16,000. Thanks to this support, the idea was transformed into a concrete and operational digital tool—and, most importantly, one used by the patients themselves.
LallianSe supported Sandrine at every stage: project structuring, selection of the technical provider, development strategy, and educational positioning.
« The 2022 Challenge Innovation was a fantastic sounding board: it allowed us to move from an idea to a recognized and supported project, with real legitimacy », explains Sandrine.
To bring this project to fruition, Romain Gombert was once again called upon. Already a partner on Pikidou, he contributed his technical expertise and understanding of hospital challenges, in addition to his project management and innovation development skills.
« Having already known the health sector, Romain was able to translate an innovative but still abstract idea into a concrete digital tool. He made it possible to optimize the technical choices, respect the budget framework without giving up on the objectives, and ensure the feasibility of the project », says Sandrine.
This collaboration, fueled by the same spirit of co-creation as for Pikidou, allowed T-OUT to find its final form: an immersive and educational escape game, co-constructed with patients, caregivers in pediatrics and adult care, around a common objective — to facilitate the transition between two worlds of care.
« Being surrounded and supported allowed me to turn obstacles into opportunities to consolidate and strengthen the project», says Sandrine.
What impact will this have on patients and staff?
Since its launch in the fall of 2024, T-OUT has been used in several hospital units. It is offered before or during the transition to adult wards to help young people become familiar with this new environment.
« Some patients told us that T-OUT helped them to better visualize what awaited them in the adult sector. This de-dramatized the transition and opened up discussion on topics they would not have spontaneously brought up», explains Natasha Figueiredo.
From the teams’ perspective, the feedback is equally positive: the game becomes a concrete tool for approaching the transition differently, in a more playful and interactive way:
« The involvement of healthcare professionals in innovation is essential to support the evolution of patients, especially younger generations born in a digital world. We need to speak the same language to create a strong bond of trust », emphasizes Natasha.
In parallel, T-OUT is the subject of a clinical study conducted at the E3M Institute, as part of a call for projects from the Fondation Maladies Rares on social and therapeutic innovations. The objective: to scientifically measure the effectiveness of the tool on quality of life and adherence to care.
And now?
Today, T-OUT continues its deployment in pediatric and adult services. It serves both as a therapeutic education tool and as a means of dialogue between patients and caregivers.
« Being able to rely on T-OUT makes us better equipped to support the transition. The tool makes this moment more concrete and more engaging for young people », observes Natasha.
For Sandrine, this adventure is also a lesson in confidence:
« An idea, even if it seems atypical or ambitious, always deserves to be explored. The important thing is to lay the first stone, share your idea, and surround yourself with the right people. »
Thanks to LallianSe – Life Sciences Integrator & Craft & Care, T-OUT has found the right balance between creativity, scientific rigor, and technical feasibility. And above all, it demonstrates that a project born from the field can become a useful, recognized, and shared tool.
From Pikidou to T-OUT: when healthcare professionals invent the hospital of tomorrow
From the Pikidou interactive tower to the T-OUT escape game, these two projects share much more than just a common support system: they embody the ability of healthcare professionals to imagine and build innovation in a concrete and effective way. Starting from needs observed firsthand, Cécile Combes, Sandrine Bottius, and Natasha Figueiredo have proven that healthcare creativity can be transformed into concrete, useful, and impactful solutions for both patients and staff.
But if their projects were able to come to fruition, it is also thanks to an essential link in this innovation chain: operational and technical implementation and prototyping. Because to move from idea to object, from concept to tool, it is still necessary to find the right partner, capable of understanding the language of healthcare while mastering that of engineering and design, and of guiding these early phases.
And this is precisely where Craft & Care and Romain Gombert come in, who alone embody the junction between innovation, clinical practice and technology.
Engineering at the service of ideas: the key contribution of Craft & Care
Pikidou and T-OUT share the commonality of having been developed with the expertise of Romain Gombert through Craft & Care, “a prototyping workshop dedicated to care.”
« My role is to provide a mini product team – product manager, designer, developers – capable of transforming an idea into a functional and testable prototype », he explains.
Translating an often abstract idea into a realistic technical solution, while respecting budgetary constraints and the hospital environment, is a major challenge. But it is also what makes these collaborations so valuable.
« The alliance between a healthcare professional, who understands the realities on the ground, and a product team, who have mastered the technologies, is the best way to provide relevant and effective solutions », says Romain.
Beyond the technical aspects, he emphasizes the human dimension of these projects:
« Seeing the smiles of caregivers and patients when they see the first results is a real reward. And it also has a ripple effect: other teams are becoming interested, which proves the usefulness of this approach. »
Thanks to this approach, Craft & Care positions itself as an essential link between the caregiver’s vision and the realization of the project. And it is precisely this connection, initiated and supported by LallianSe, that makes the transition from dream to reality possible.
Transforming the culture of innovation in hospitals
Beyond the direct benefits for patients, projects like Pikidou and T-OUT demonstrate how innovation can also transform those who champion it and the institutions that support them. For healthcare professionals, it’s an experience of renewed recognition and confidence, an improvement in well-being and quality of work life – among other things.
For healthcare facilities, it’s an opportunity to establish a new culture: that of an agile hospital, where initiative and creativity are recognized as drivers of transformation just as much as research or technology.
Cécile Combes sees it as a powerful engine of collective motivation
« Highlighting the ideas of paramedics is a fantastic tool for recognition. It changes the dynamics of teams and even the way the hospital operates. »
Sandrine Bottius confirms that this dynamic goes far beyond the scope of a single project:
« Encouraging innovation in healthcare facilities means first and foremost creating a culture open to experimentation. It is necessary to value initiatives from the field and offer structured support to transform ideas into concrete projects.»
From an engineering perspective, Romain Gombert also observes the chain effects:
« Seeing healthcare professionals regain confidence in their ability to innovate is inspiring. And when their projects come to fruition, it encourages other teams to question, create, and propose. This is how a true culture of hospital innovation is built. »
In short, each project we initiate acts as a spark of innovation, fueling a broader transformation: that of a hospital system where care and innovation mutually enrich each other, and where the field becomes the driving force of change. And that’s also part of our DNA at LallianSe – sparking innovation!
The final word: Dare to take the plunge!
If there’s one lesson to be learned from Pikidou and T-OUT’s journeys, it’s that you don’t need to have all the answers to innovate. What matters is taking the first step—with conviction, curiosity, and courage.
Our three protagonists share the same message:
« “Go for it, dare to try! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain,” encourages Cécile. “The important thing is to lay the first stone and surround yourself with the right people. Obstacles can be overcome if you stay focused on the project’s purpose,” adds Sandrine. “My advice: dare to embark on this collaborative project, because it’s in this dialogue between medical expertise and technological innovation that the most useful solutions are born », concludes Romain.
At LallianSe, we are proud to be the catalyst that connects ideas, expertise, and resources to transform healthcare professionals’ intuitions into concrete solutions for patients. These interwoven stories prove it: when healthcare professionals are given the tools to innovate, the hospital of tomorrow is being built today.
