D I S S E C T I N G B U S I N E S S
minimise anxiety , pain and discomfort and even reduce anaesthesia use .”
Interventional radiology : An ideal VR use case
Interventional radiology provides minimally invasive care in a variety of ways . The specialty uses medical imaging such as X-rays , CT scans , ultrasounds and MRIs to insert small devices – like catheters , IVs or wires – into the body or to perform biopsies .
Most interventional radiology procedures only take a few minutes , but the prep time and setup are much more complex .
“ A patient who just needs something to ease the anxiety and discomfort of the procedure ends up having to go without eating all night so we can administer anaesthesia in the morning ,” said Dr Miller .
As the medications leave the patient ’ s system , it can take several hours to fully recover .
“ That ’ s a lot logistically for the patient – and for their family and care team – for what is ultimately a five-minute procedure . Our goal is to reduce that footprint for everybody ,” he said .
VR as a therapeutic tool
“ When you put a headset on somebody in a healthcare setting , it can transform their mind and immerse them in a completely different environment ,” said Hunt . “ It helps detach their anxieties from what they ' re feeling and experiencing in the real world .”
This phenomenon has been studied extensively by CHLA ’ s Biobehavioural Pain Lab , led by Jeffrey Gold , PhD , whose research seeks to enhance the standard of care for anxious patients beyond administering medication to ease fear .
“ VR can help dampen the brain ’ s pain receptors ,” Hunt said . “ Your body is so distracted with other stimuli that it kind of forgets to feel that anxiety or pain that you ’ d be noticing previously .”
A nationwide search
“ What we were missing was not so much the technology itself ,” said Dr Miller , reflecting on the early days of conceiving the programme . “ It was the person to help apply the technology in an individualised fashion .”
That ’ s where Hunt came in .
Hunt studied virtual-reality game design at Savannah College of Art and Design and was drawn to VR applications in healthcare .
“ I was perfectly good at designing video games , but I realised I wanted to work in the clinical setting as soon as I started connecting with patients ,” he said . “ The more positive experiences I helped foster , the more I thought , ‘ This is what I want to do for the rest of my life .’”
As Dr Miller and the team finalised their vision for the VR technologist position , it became clear that CHLA would effectively create the blueprint for future US hospitals .
“ We ’ ve yet to encounter another hospital using VR to get patients through procedures with an embedded VR technologist ,” said Dr Miller .
The role is made possible by the financial support of the non-profit Child ’ s Play , which assists hospitals across the country in a variety of technology adoption initiatives .
It just so happened that the job posting coincided perfectly with Hunt ’ s post-grad career search . He joined the team in August , and they treated their first patient using VR a month later .
The process
Hunt ’ s role is evolving as the programme evolves and expands , he explained , but most procedures happen as follows :
“ I first spend some time with the patient to explain the process and get a feel for what game they may want to play ,” he said . CHLA ’ s VR headsets are equipped with several programs depending on the age of the patient , their level of anxiety , and the type of procedure ( some games require the patient to use only their eyes and a trigger button while keeping their head , arms , and torso still , while others enable the use of one arm or both ).
30 www . intelligenthealth . tech