Virtual reality games show stunning ability to distraction from pain
Have you ever played VR games for so long so you lose awareness about the fact that you are playing a game at all? Maybe you go sit in a virtual seat, just to pound to the ground and remember, in one embarrassing moment, that the reality you consider is not real. This same effect, it seems, can effectively divert attention from pain medical procedures.
Los Angeles Children’s Hospital has reported amazing success using headsets and virtual reality games to distract patients from painful procedures and provoke anxiety. Details reported in a new study of how VR affected the perception of pain and anxiety in children who underwent this treatment.
Unfortunately, children who often have children’s hospitals often have chronic conditions that might require routine maintenance. This can produce anxiety, which can be strengthened if the child care is painful or uncomfortable. One simple example is a peripheral intravenous catheter placement for IV.
It is a procedure that researchers with the Saban Hospital Research Institute are used to evaluate the impact of VR in pain and anxiety. Children in the control group receive catheter placement with traditional calming techniques, while other children receive catheter placement while playing VR games.
This game is designed to be quite simple for children, but it is hard enough to request active participation and their focus, according to researchers. Patients who were given the VR experience during the procedure reported “significantly lowered” anxiety and pain compared to children who did not get a VR headset.
The use of a VR headset also makes everything easier for parents and medical professionals, research found, noting that children who are quieter and less anxious make it easier to place the catheter and that parents are less depressed by circumstances. In addition, disadvantaged medical visits can make their parents and children more likely to follow up with future visits, improve care and improve their health.
