Gaming the system: London researchers are testing VR to calm young patients

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Doctors at Children’s Hospital are testing whether virtual reality — a technology used for games — can calm childhood cancer patients at appointments, a potential pain management strategy that could be used for other illnesses and injuries in children.

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The team from the Lawson Health Research Institute, the medical research arm of London Hospitals, is recruiting 90 pediatric cancer patients aged five to 18 for the virtual reality study, which will measure whether the technology can suppress anxiety during medical procedures.

“We wanted to take a novel approach to reducing their stress by using technology to distract them,” said Naveen Poonai, an emergency room physician at Children’s Hospital and the study’s lead investigator.

All patients in the study have a port, a small reservoir surgically implanted under the skin that allows doctors and nurses to draw blood or administer medication. Ports are common in pediatric cancer patients due to the need for regular chemotherapy treatments and blood tests—sometimes several times a week.

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Because the port is completely under the skin, it requires a needle stick to get there, which can be uncomfortable or frightening for young patients, said Alexandra Zorzi, an associate scientist at Lawson and a pediatric oncologist at Children’s Hospital.

“We apply a topical cream to numb the skin and minimize the stinging. But kids are smart and savvy and know when they go to the hospital they get a nudge. There can be a lot of fear and anxiety,” she said.

A group in the study receive a virtual reality headset during their appointment while doctors access their port. The technology simulates reality and offers patients an immersive virtual experience.

“Patients see small fish swimming around in the water. They can interact with what they see. Everything is colored and three-dimensional. They see things coming at them and swimming past their head, a full 180-degree field of view,” Poonai said.

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Another group will be given computer tablets during their port access appointment, while the last group will be given non-technical distractions.

The research team will conduct interviews with all parents and children in the study to learn their response to the intervention, whether it be the virtual reality headset, the tablet, or the non-technical distraction.

The reactions of the patients during the appointment are also recorded on video and evaluated for signs of stress using a standardized assessment procedure.

The research team has already recruited 35 patients for the study that started in May. The group hopes to have results by early 2023 and publish their findings later next year, Zorzi said.

If the results show that the virtual reality headset helped keep kids happy and calm during doctor appointments, the technology could be used in other medical procedures, Poonai said.

“Virtual reality technology was very expensive until five to seven years ago,” he said. “If hospitals see this working, they may be more likely to invest in this technology so children can use it for other painful procedures, such as Intravenous starts, cut repairs, maybe even bone setting.”

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