How technology can help kids no longer be afraid to go to the doctor

For children, the fear and pain of medical treatments can be traumatic. Several technology companies have found a way to help.

Vaccines save lives, but many children are afraid of needles.

A Brazilian project has therefore found virtual reality or virtual reality (as is known in English) a way to help children cope with such situations.

The VR Vaccine Project has created an animated 3D adventure that allows kids to see how armored heroes defend their land against a villain. 19659002] And while the nurse looks at the same story on a separate screen, she takes advantage of the pbadage of wet cotton on the skin and the application of the injection.

Fear of Needles

The project was launched by the Hermes Pardini chain of pharmacies. to help with their vaccination campaigns, while anime content was in charge of local design studios VZLAB and Lobo.

"What we learned from this project is that children" It's more needles than pain itself, "says Luiz Evandro, director of VZLAB and Lobo

"Our theory was that if we could get rid of" the approaching needle ", the fear itself would also disappear. It finally went well. "

Evandro says that the ability of the story told in the animation to capture the interest of children alleviated their fears and helped to relax their muscles, which greatly facilitated the work of nurses. injection

The results of the VR Vaccine project were so positive that Hermes Pardini installed the devices in his 80 pharmacies

according to Evandro. Virtual reality could potentially contribute to a variety of other medical scenarios that can reduce stress.

"You can integrate both interactivity and personalization with specific patients," he says.

"We feel that we have only touched what can be done here."

Technology Aid

The use of technology is also effective in helping children with chronic diseases to express their feelings and to heal themselves.

For example, Sproutel, a US-based robot, has developed a robot that allows children on cancer treatment to use a "Senting Card", transmitting a certain amount of emotion against the chest of the patient. # 39; animal.

The duck then expresses this feeling.

"It allows children to share their feelings with the medical staff using this device, which is often difficult for young children," says Aaron Horowitz, co-founder and CEO of Sproutel.

The duck also has an inserted catheter, which allows children to administer chemotherapy to their ducks. Horowitz says that this type of medical game can give children a rebaduring sense of control over their medical treatments.

"Several studies have shown that children have the feeling that duck helps to reduce their stress level at the hospital" Horowitz

"The average cancer treatment time for a child is 1,000 days, which is extremely scary. "

Sproutel says it has already received 600 orders from 37 hospitals in the United States to buy these ducks.

And the insurance company Aflac costs a duck for every child with cancer who asks for it.

Robots

Other types of robots also arrive.

The Canadian company RXRobots, for example, has spent years developing its humanoid MEDi robot, designed to establish a relationship with a child and teach cognitive-behavioral therapies to help you deal with the stress of hospitals through games and conversations.

Suppose that a child is suffering from anxiety because he knows that he is going to undergo treatment. The MEDi robot will play with him to do deep breathing exercises.

During the game, the child relaxes and stops focusing on the procedure.

MEDi is also used for therapeutic games in which children can perform procedures, during which the robot makes comments such as "you take good care of me".

This shows the child that health professionals are also trying to help, even in sometimes painful medical procedures.

RXRobots founder Tanya Beran says the robot can help reduce children's pain by 50% in medical procedures, based on interviews with children. , parents and nurses.

Beran believes that interaction with MEDi not only helps children undergoing medical treatment, but can also shape their attitude to health care for the rest of their lives.

"MEDi transforms medical care by helping children gain a different experience in hospitals and dental practices," he said.

But the robot One is not perfect. In case of failure of the Internet connection, the robot does not work. Sometimes you also need time to talk.

And its price – $ 15,000 – is not cheap.

The Alberta Pediatric Hospital has four. And the medical staff ensures their effectiveness in more than one patient.