LAGUNA BEACH, Calif., Oct. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — “EEG exams can be really frightening for adults, but for children, the anxiety is often so overwhelming that they need to be papoosed, and this immobilization can lead to trauma,” said Macy Connors, Child Life Specialist at Children’s Wisconsin.
This challenge inspired a unique collaboration between the clinical team at Children’s Wisconsin and the creative team at Reimagine Well.
Connors adds, “Our goal with our EEG Xbox game is to enable our patients to acclimate to the entire EEG process by playing a virtual reality scavenger hunt game, where they get to perform a simulated EEG on a virtual mannequin. The process leads to creating positive coping plans with the child life specialist, and successful placement of the leads.”
The game takes place in a re-creation of the Children’s Wisconsin pediatric EEG room. Patients explore the room using an Xbox controller, interacting with the game’s mascot, “Casey the Lion”. Casey asks, “Are you ready to proceed with your treatment?” When the patient is comfortable the simulation game begins.
“Experiential Education” enables patients to undergo treatments and procedures virtually, at their own comfort level, in a gamified environment that is a precise replica of the room where they will be treated, lowering anxiety. “Clinicians can coach, guide, and acclimate the patient ahead of time, not only reducing the need for sedation or restraint, but also reducing the need to reschedule appointments,” said Roger Holzberg, co-founder of Reimagine Well.
Connors and her team at Children’s began using the program with patients in August. She adds, “So far, all of our patients and families have found the use of this experiential VR game to be very helpful. The acclimatization has enabled all of them to get through the EEG without being papoosed or experiencing any trauma.”
In addition to the EEG experiential education program, Reimagine Well has also developed programs to reduce anxiety for MRI exams, radiation treatments and as customized and personalized distraction therapy.
Holzberg adds, “We are very excited about the use of Experiential Education, enabling interactive medical learning that feels like play!”
About Reimagine Well
Reimagine Well provides a proprietary platform and programs designed for infusion therapy, assisted living, and more; and has compiled an extensive library of patient-directed immersive healing experiences and disease-specific ‘Learn Guides’ hosted by clinicians and medical experts. Roger Holzberg and Leonard Sender, MD, founded Reimagine Well. Sender is a specialist with the Hyundai Cancer Institute at CHOC Children’s Hospital, Orange County, California, is board certified in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and is both a clinician and a researcher. Holzberg is the founder of My Bridge 4 Life, a former award-winning Disney Imagineer, the first (consulting) Creative Director of the National Cancer Institute and a 15-year cancer survivor.
Contact: Pam Carstens
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SOURCE Reimagine Well