Children aged 3-11 years old who have been diagnosed with Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.

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To help children with sJIA, we needed an innovative solution. One that urgently allowed the child to communicate to teachers and carers whenever their arthritis flared-up – but didn’t draw any unnecessary attention to themselves.

That’s why we created the ‘Ouchieband’.

Disguised as a regular charity band, something often worn by children, the two-tone wristband could be flipped so it could be worn with either the red or white side showing.

When a child is feeling fine with very little pain, they wear their Ouchieband with the white side showing.

But when their arthritis flares up, they simply turn the Ouchieband over to show the red side. That way, the teacher or carer knows they need help.

To support the idea, we also designed the UK’s first patient support pack aimed at children with the sJIA. The pack introduced a friendly character called Ouchie, who explained their condition in a way that they would understand. The pack included a patient guide, a parent guide, a storybook and downloadable animation. All designed ease distress, repel fear and speak to the young patients in their language for the very first time.

By the end of 2018, it is predicted that 90% of all patients in the UK will have received and benefitted from their very own Ouchieband and patient support pack.

“The sJIA patient packs have been successfully received by physicians, we are starting to get really positive interest in the support packs from regions we had not seen interest from before.”

Roche Global International Business Lead

“The campaign has been really well received with lots of positive feedback from healthcare professionals. With the previous lack of support materials for children with sJIA, we expect the level of impact to be huge.”

Shazad Jafri, Senior Medical Manager, Chugai Pharma

When we think of arthritis we think of the old and the frail. But Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (sJIA) actually effects a significant number of children in the UK.

It was only when we talked to patients with the disease, that we uncovered another issue that was affecting a huge part of the patients’ day-to-day lives. One that was affecting the child’s education, and that couldn’t be ignored any longer.

The painful flare-ups can suddenly leave them feeling extremely ill during school hours. But many said that they found it difficult, or were too embarrassed to tell their teacher or carer that they felt unwell.

They also described how their condition left them feeling isolated from their classmates, often becoming a target for bullies. Making their day at school a distressful experience, in more ways than one.