(Vienna, 08 May 2026) Diagnoses of serious or chronic illnesses can drastically change the lives of children and young people, as well as those of their families. To provide these young patients with the best possible support on their journey from initial diagnosis to aftercare, the “MeinLogbuch” project was launched at the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at the Medical University of Vienna. This book empowers patients to become experts in their own health.
“MeinLogbuch” is far more than an information leaflet. It is an interactive companion that helps children and young people navigate the often stressful daily routine of hospital life. Through creative tasks and age-appropriate methods, young users are encouraged to actively engage with their condition. At the heart of the project are interactive activity books that impart knowledge, support emotional processing and strengthen self-efficacy. With the help of creative exercises, games and age-appropriate information, children actively engage with their illness and develop strategies for dealing with the challenges of everyday hospital life. The programme is complemented by an online support pack for parents, which promotes joint support in everyday family life.
The aim is to turn children and young people into competent partners in their own treatment process – into true experts on their own health. In this way, MeinLogbuch helps to build health literacy, provide guidance and improve quality of life in the long term.
And the results show that MeinLogbuch really works: children experience a significant improvement in their psychosocial well-being when dealing with challenges related to their illness (J Cancer Educ. 2024 Aug, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-024-02481-2).
This project was realised through the close collaboration of an interdisciplinary team led by the COPEGroup at the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, together with interdisciplinary experts in the DACH region ( ) and the PSAPOH (Psychosocial Working Group within the Society for Paediatric Oncology and Haematology). The heads of the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, , Susanne Greber-Platzer and Angelika Berger, emphasised the importance of such resources for holistic care.
The book was developed by the authors Liesa J. Weiler-Wichtl, Verena Fohn-Erhold and Ulrike Leiss. The project is being published by Trauner Verlag (Rudolf Trauner and Regina Jaschke), with a large part of the collaboration coordinated by Claudia Ballaun (Technology Transfer at MedUni Vienna).
“With MeinLogbuch, we wanted to develop an accessible and empowering companion that guides children and their families through the healthcare system, reduces anxiety and supports them in confidently charting their own course,” explains author Liesa Weiler-Wichtl. “At the same time, the programme is rigorously scientifically grounded to ensure that children and young people receive the best possible support in line with current medical and psychosocial standards. Our aim is to make this quality measurable and to continuously improve MeinLogbuch through ongoing evaluation and further development.”
The project was supported by several organisations and sponsors, including Austrian Children’s Cancer Aid, Children’s Cancer Aid Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland, the Children’s Cancer Association, Occursus (part of the OeghO), Mission Hope, Roche and Kindness for Kids.
As a result, the first 400 MeinLogbooks were handed over to the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine and are now ready for use.
Award-winning project with a scientific foundation
The significance and innovative power of “MeinLogbuch” had already been recognised by several awards even before its official launch:
The Occursus Recognition and Promotion Award for Communication in Oncology (OeGHO, 2017),
The Kindness For Kids Care Award from the Foundation for Children with Rare Diseases (2019),
The award for author Liesa Weiler-Wichtl as “Inventor of the Year 2023” by MedUni Vienna.
Outlook
The journey does not end with the publication of “MeinLogbuch”. The project is designed as a growing system: following work on this foundational work, translations into other languages are planned, and further specific volumes for different clinical conditions are also possible. Thus, beyond the German-speaking world, work is already underway on the implementation of MeinLogbuch in several European centres (EU4Health project at MedUni Vienna https://siope.eu/impact-eu).
Click here for the logbooks:
• Handbook https://www.trauner.at/meinlogbuch-handbuch
• MeinLogbuch – Basic Volume. How to become an expert on my own health and illness: https://www.trauner.at/meinlogbuch-basisband
• MeinLogbuch – Oncology Focus Volume. How to become an expert on my own health and oncological condition: https://www.trauner.at/meinlogbuch-onkologie
Book launch on 27 April 2026 at MedUni Vienna