Young patients to get a dose of virtual reality in future operations

CHILDREN may be able to venture into fantasy worlds during surgery or take a tour of a virtual theatre before an operation to ease their anxiety as anaesthetists turn from drugs to technology.

Virtual reality could be used to help ease children’s anxiety before or during surgery. File image

CHILDREN may be able to venture into fantasy worlds during surgery or take a tour of a virtual theatre before an operation to ease their anxiety as anaesthetists turn from drugs to technology.

A range of Australian research projects are even letting young patients design their own worlds in an effort to better understand how virtual-reality technology can be used to reduce the trauma of hospital procedures for those aged from four to 17.

Virtual reality is already being used to help children get through painful burn dressing procedures and trips to the dentist, but Sydney specialist Dr Andrew Weatherall said the technology had the potential to revolutionise the way hospitals catered for kids.

“There is a growing interest in trying to use different options within technology to try to help either distract children through the process of going off to sleep or to prepare them for what it is going to be like,” Dr Weatherall said.

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Details will be revealed at a gathering of Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists next week.

In one study of 170 patients at Sydney’s Children’s Hospital at Westmead, children will be immersed in a virtual operating theatre before their surgery to determine if it improves their anaesthetic and the recovery process.

A second project sees children working with designers to build the worlds they would like to visit as a distraction during actual procedures, in the hope doses of pain relieve or sedation can be reduced.

“Rather than say ‘here’s an off-the-shelf virtual reality game lets hope it distracts you’, what we are hoping to do is get some kids who have had experience of an operation to come back and help us come up with ideas that (allow children) to retreat into a world of their own making,” Dr Weatherall said.

“We have children coming in who are so phobic about getting their vaccinations that they struggle to get through their vaccination schedule without admission to hospital and sedation.

“We hope to get kids to help us do nine sorts of other worlds and experiences they thing might help the next group of kids coming through.”

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