Virtual reality headset provides welcome distraction for young patients
Virtual reality headset provides welcome distraction for young patients
25 October 2022
We awarded a grant to help the team at the hospital's Paediatric Haematology Day Unit purchase the headset, which comes loaded with calming games and virtual experiences. The kit is easy to use and fully compliant with the ward's infection control procedures.
Our funding also provided a 360 degree camera that allows staff to record their own virtual reality content. The team is planning to use the camera to record a child's journey from the day unit to the operating theatre, where they might undergo a procedure or scan.
"The headsets allow us to break down a child's journey to theatre into manageable chunks."
Dr Becky Armstrong, Clinical Psychologist
"A lot of our children will go down to the theatre to have procedures or to the MRI machine to have a scan," explained Dr Becky Armstrong, a Clinical Psychologist at St Mary's.
"You're leaving a very familiar part of the hospital and going somewhere completely new - as a young child, if you've never done that before, it can be really scary. This will allow us to break the journey down into personalised, manageable chunks for that young person - because all we'll need to do is get the VR kit out."
Although the use of virtual reality in hospitals is relatively new, the results are impressive. A study at Leeds Children's Hospital found that 91% of children who used VR said it made their treatment better, while 87% said they felt little or no pain during procedures.
As well as recording journeys through the hospital, the team is also exploring how the equipment can be used to record interviews with members of staff - helping children get to know them better during their time in hospital.
Every year we award millions of pounds through our grants programme to improve patient care, support NHS staff and drive forward medical research and innovation at our hospitals. You can find out more about the impact we make here.
