Children, who need to hold their arms still while an IV ... kids coming in crying and not wanting to be there, ... demos
Your Good Health
An immersive DISTRACTION Virtual-reality game helps young hemophilia patients endure prickly treatments By JoAnne Viviano More Content Now
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rody Bowman used to receive the IV medication he needs to treat his hemophilia through a port in his chest. But when his health-care team recently switched to the 7-year-old’s arms and hands, the needle sticks caused anxiety, screaming and crying. He had to be held still. That’s why his mom, Gabby Bowman, was a bit surprised when Brody began sitting through the pokes with barely a stir. The calming effect came from a virtual-reality gaming system created to help pediatric hemophilia patients deal with the needles they face, sometimes as often as three times a week. “He gets totally immersed in it; he doesn’t even know what’s going on,” said Bowman, of Columbus, Ohio. “He doesn’t flinch. He doesn’t make a noise.” The device, a disposable cardboard shell that holds a cellphone, slips over a patient’s eyes, providing a virtual-reality experience. Children, who need to hold their arms still while an IV line is placed, control game play with a movement of the head or by breathing into a sensor. For example, one exercise makes a dragon breathe fire. Dr. Amy Dunn, director of pediatric hematology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, and Jeremy Patterson, who directs user-experience technology, research and development at the hospital’s Research Institute, created the system. Dunn said many children get infusions at home, forcing parents to stick their children with needles.
Brody Bowman, 6, plays virtual-reality games while getting a medication infusion at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. His mother says he barely reacts to needle pricks while distracted by the games, which it makes the treatment process much easier on both of them. [Nationwide Children’s HospitaL photos]
Cardboard goggles, worn by young patients who use them to play virtual-reality games during medication infusions, are designed to fit children and are lightweight and disposable, eliminating the need to sanitize equipment for each patient.
Treatment generally begins at 1 or 2 years old. “The burden that these children and their families face in order to get the right care so that they can remain healthy is very high,” Dunn said. “And there’s no end in sight. It’s a lifelong treatment. You can imagine how daunting that is.” Care providers spend a lot of time trying to make it better. They start children young to make exposure to needles a little less traumatic. But the virtual-reality gear takes things a step further. Bowman said her son doesn’t even flinch when playing a game in which penguins stack ice blocks. Once immersed in a game, children become quiet and unaware of what’s going on around them, Patterson said. “It’s led to genuine celebratory moments,” he said. “People have cheered. It’s kids coming in crying and not wanting to be there, shifting over to people laughing. It’s a complete 180.” Dunn agrees. “Everyone is so focused on the child having fun that the medical team gets to do what they need to do, and before you know it, everything is done and everyone walks away a little bit happier,” she said. The group has run a feasibility trial to make sure the device could be used in
VR distractions to try The app mentioned in this story is experimental and therefore not available for purchase. But try these kid-friendly VR apps (must provide your own smartphone and headset) if you need to distract children during their shots. 1. View-Master: The classic stereoscope toys gets a VR update. Kids can use it to pretend to be the Ninja Turtles and battle Shredder, visit the Smithsonian as a museum curator or go back in time to see dinosaurs and more. Free demos on Android / iOS https://www.view-master. com/en-us 2. Discovery VR: Let your science-obsessed kid go from shark-infested shipwrecks to freeboarding the windiest street in the world in the various immersive experiences created by Discovery. Free on Android / iOS http://www.discoveryvr.com/ 3. Snow Strike: The mission is to defend your snow fort against snowmen, drive-by sleigh riders and other enemies! Free on Android. http://damonpidhajecky. com/snowstrike
a busy hemophilia clinic. More trials, and funding, are needed before the device can be used on a wider scale. Patterson said the team that worked on the process is excited to see results that change lives. “I’ve never experienced anything like it in my life,” he said. “The moment when you see how it changes tears to smiles — there are a lot of people who work their entire lives and don’t see that effect on somebody. It’s been the project of a lifetime.”
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