JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

An MRI is a diagnostic test which requires patients to sit still for prolonged periods within a claustrophobic and noisy environment. This can be difficult for children to tolerate and often general anaesthetic (GA) is required at considerable cost and detriment to patient safety. Virtual reality (VR) is a newly emerging technology which can be implemented at low cost within a healthcare setting. It has been shown to reduce fear associated with a number of high anxiety situations and medical procedures.

Objective:

To develop a virtual reality resource to prepare paediatric patients for MRI helping to reduce anxieties in children undergoing the procedure.

Methods:

A free VR app was developed to prepare paediatric patients for their upcoming MRI. The app displays a series of panoramic 360 videos of the entire MRI journey, including footage from within the bore of the scanner. Deployed to the Android play store and iOS app store it can be viewed on most mobile phones allowing a child to experience an MRI in VR using an inexpensive Google Cardboard headset. The 360 videos are contained within an animated, interactive virtual reality interface designed for 7-12yr olds. For younger children a preparation book was developed to be used in conjunction with the app. The resource was evaluated on 23 patients (4-12yrs) and feedback was obtained from 10 staff. In 5 patients the app was evaluated as a tool to prepare patients for an awake MRI whom otherwise were booked to have an MRI under GA.

Results:

The VR preparation resource has been successfully implemented at 3 UK institutions. Of the 23 patients surveyed, on a scale of 1-10 the VR resource was rated with a median score of 9 for “enjoyment”, 8 for “helpfulness” and 10 for “ease of use”. All patients agreed that it made them feel more positive about their MRI and all suggested they would recommend the resource to other children. Of the 10 staff surveyed, when considering their experiences of using the resource with paediatric patients, on a scale of 1-10 they rated the VR resource with a median score of 9 for “enjoyment”, 9 for “helpfulness” and 9 for “ease of use”. All staff believed it could help prepare children for an awake MRI, thus avoiding general anesthetic (GA). A successful awake MRI was achieved in 4 of the 5 children for whom routine care would have resulted in an MRI under GA.

Conclusions:

Our Virtual reality resource was able to relieve anxieties and better prepare patients for an awake MRI. The resource has potential to avoid general anesthetic through educating the child about the MRI process.