Henrik Hjelmgren

I completed my degree in pediatric nursing in 2012 at Karolinska Institutet and later became a registered clinical PhD-student at the department of Women's and Children's Health in 2015. Since 2016, I have worked as a “University nurse” at Karolinska University Hospital-Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, where I am involved in research, clinical practice, and teaching.

My research focuses on the procedure of blood sampling in children, specifically aimed at preventing failed attempts. Most errors occur during the pre-analytical process of sampling, leading to unnecessary suffering and safety risks for the children. In my doctoral project, Associate Professor Björn Nordlund was my primary supervisor. My thesis was defended in 2022 and the title was, "Pre-analytical errors in blood sampling procedures in paediatric hospital care".

In addition to my doctoral project, I am also involved in several innovation projects that aim to develop solutions for use in clinical practice. I have received funding from both the Swedish Innovation authority -Vinnova in 2021 and 2024 and the Innovation Fund 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2024.

"Stick Adventure" is an mobile-application designed for children who are about to undergo or have undergone any form of needle-related procedure, such as blood sampling or vaccinations. The idea is to use gamification to de-dramatize the procedure and provide children with information about how it works in a fun and entertaining way. In the same project we developed an Augment Reality(AR)- distraction solution that could help children during medical procedures which is under evaluation in my post-doctoral program.
The app "Blodprovstavlan" is intended for staff who perform blood sampling on children. Its purpose is to gather all necessary evidence-based information in one place, thereby increasing staff knowledge.

I have also participated as a research leader in a project evaluating nurses' experiences in caring for children with hyperinflammation after COVID-19 (MIS-C).

Since 2023, I have been a postdoctoral researcher in the “Research in Pediatric Health Sciences” research group led by Cecilia Bartholdsson, in the departpment of Women's and Children's Health. The focus on my post-doc project is to develop and evaluate eXtended Reality(XR)-distractions interventions that could ease children’s pain and fear during painful medical procedures. In my post-doc I’m also cooperating with the research group led by prof Amanda Ullman “Paediatric Nursing and Patient Safety”. During 2024, I visited Queensland University and the resourch group for post-doc fellow visit.

PUBLICATIONS

1. Hjelmgren, H*., Heintz, E., Ygge, B. M., Andersson, N., &

POPULAR SCIENCE PUBLICATIONS:  

Hjelmgren H, "Stickäventyret, Ny teknik hjälper barn i samband med stick", Barnbladet, 2023, (3), s36-39. Riksföreningen för Barnsjuksköterskors tidsskrift

Hjelmgren H, "Hur ska vi tänka när vi sticker och tar blodprov på barn?, Aniva Ventilen, 2023, (4), s6-11. Riksföreningen för anestesi och intensivvårds tidsskrift