Having a surgery is understandably scary for children. The Hong Kong Children’s Hospital is collaborating with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s Department of Computing, the City University of Hong Kong’s Department of Computer Science, and Playright Children’s Play Association to conduct a study on the effectiveness of applying virtual reality (VR) to help children cope with perioperative anxiety.

Patients participating in the study are those scheduled for elective surgery. After putting on the VR headset, they will immerse in realistic scenes in the operating theatre, with narration by anaesthesiologist and hospital play specialist. It allows children to rehearse for their upcoming surgery virtually.

▲ The realistic VR scenes are constructed upon the actual set up of the HKCH operating theatres. There are operating lights, operating table and anaesthetic machines and healthcare staff working.

Dr Vansie Kwok, Consultant of the Anaesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine Department said, “Perioperative anxiety in children can adversely affect their clinical outcomes. They may need more analgesia, have delirium and behavioural changes like nightmares. Children get anxious when they face unfamiliar environment and uncertainties. With the use of VR, we hope to lessen their worries by letting them experience beforehand what they are going to encounter in the operating theatre.”

▲ Waiting area before patients experience “walking” into the operating theatre.

Interactive elements are added to make the process more fun. In the VR story, the child follows a panda on a treasure hunt. They pick the surgical gown colour and scent on the anaesthetic face mask together, then walk into the theatre where there are different healthcare staff and equipment. A hospital play specialist can also help the child try out the anaesthetic face mask.

Assessment on patients’ anxiety level is conducted before and after they use VR. Dr Kwok said, “We have received positive feedback from patients who found it entertaining. We will further analyse the data and hope to benefit more children.”