Personalized patient education using a customizable 3D virtual reality experience.
Project Overview
In partnership with Klick Health, Boston Children’s IDHA has developed an immersive virtual reality (VR) platform that allows patients to visualize their own (animated) diagnosis and medical results through VR goggles during their appointment. With just a few clicks, a physician can personalize the experience for a patient based on real clinical findings, fostering education and hopefully reducing “fear of the unknown” for patients and families.
The Health Voyager platform is currently being piloted in Boston Children’s gastroenterology department, presenting pediatric patients with virtual tours of their GI tract. The goal of this pilot is to investigate the impact of Health Voyager on patient understanding, satisfaction, and treatment adherence.
Healthcare Context
Historically, clinicians have relied on print-outs for teaching aids, which are typically heavy on clinical jargon and light on the engagement factor – something particularly important in educating kids about their health. Across pediatric care, only 50-75% of patients demonstrate treatment adherence, with estimates of nonadherence as high as 50% for patients with chronic diseases1,2,3.
In the News
- Children’s using VR to help heal
- BCH & Klick Health announce VR platform to offer pediatric patients customized 3D tours inside their bodies
Interested in Learning More?
Visit Health Voyager’s website here or send IDHA an email at accelerator@childrens.harvard.edu!
References
- Oliva-Hemker, M. M., Abadom, V. E., Cuffari, C., & Thompson, R. (2007). Nonadherence With Thiopurine Immunomodulator and Mesalamine Medications in Children with Crohn Disease. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 44(2), 180-184.
- Rapoff MA. Adherence to Pediatric Medical Regimens. New York: Kluwer Academic; 1999.
- Rapoff, M. (2010). Adherence to Pediatric Medical Regimens: 2nd Edition (Issues in clinical child psychology). Boston, MA: Springer-Verlag US