How about some good news? There has been lots of bad news about the effect of cell phones, iPads and other electronic devices on our children but it’s not all bad news. I just read about a new program where a hospital is using virtual reality to help children while they are doing chemotherapy. An 8 year old says it “gets my mind off of all the things that are happening to me.” One game takes the child through the human body, even allowing them to visualize red and white blood cells! When presented with a disease, they can watch the white blood cells fight the infection-how cool is that? So while many children dread going in for procedures and therapies, this allows the children to have a positive experience! Numerous studies show that virtual experiences reduce anxiety and help distract patients from the painful experiences like stem cell transplantation, radiation and even surgery. Cinema Vision goggles are used with MRI scans to reduce stress and claustrophobia, allowing the children the ability to watch tv or movies during their scans.
My favorite quote? “Virtual reality helps to distract you from a miserable situation and you feel better-absolutely.”
Dr.Badaracco
