Pain management in paediatric healthcare has always been a challenge due to emotional and psychological factors influencing the pain perception of the kids. The new ways of controlling the pain are proving to be very revolutionary in paediatric treatment because any smaller or big medical procedure in kids will usually be associated with anxiety and pain. From the routine procedures like blood test and vaccination to the dressing and cleaning of the injuries, little children and their parents will be getting worried about anticipating the pain and discomfort. Traditional pain management techniques included the usage of pain medication along with pharmacological products, which were chemicals and had multiple limitations and side effects. Nowadays, the introduction of virtual reality in pain management with the help of childcare hospital experts very well makes sure it a revolutionary tool that has been highly successful in offering non-invasive solutions for paediatric pain management.
Unlike the adults, the children will be consistently struggling to express their pain with accuracy, which makes it very important for the healthcare providers to use a specialised approach which is custom to their age and developmental stage. Efficient pain management methods will include the combination of pharmacological treatments with anaesthesia and non-pharmacological interventions like distraction techniques and cognitive behavioural therapy. This will be all about addressing the physical and emotional aspects of pain simultaneously, which in turn will reduce the discomfort, improve the recovery and enhance the overall medical experience for the kids. Virtual reality in immersive technology is the transportation of children into a computer-generated 3d environment that will engage the multiple senses like sight, sound and motion. With the help of a virtual reality headset and interactive simulation, children will be engaging in a life-like experience within a digital world, which will make the environment feel real. In healthcare, this technology has been very well used for paediatric pain management by providing engaging and distraction-based interventions for the patients, which are specifically designed for the virtual environment to distract the young patients from pain and anxiety.
Fundamental principle behind the virtual reality and its effectiveness in the paediatric pain management is the ability of creating the distraction that will be diverting the attention of the kids away from the painful stimulus. By engaging the children and captivation of the virtual world the focus will be shifting for the medical procedure to the chronic pain while they will be experiencing the enjoyable and immersive digital experience.
How will the virtual reality-induced pain relief work medically?
- Cognitive distraction: All such experiences will be based upon virtual reality and experience that will require active participation, and this will distract the mind, which eventually will reduce the ability of the brain to produce the signals.
- Emergent effect: The immersive nature of the virtual reality will be deeply engaging the children and this will be reducing stress response which further will be reducing the perception of the pain.
- Neurological modulation: Studies very well recommend that virtual reality will be altering the neural pathways related to the pain perception, and further, this will be reducing the activity in the areas of the brain associated with the pain processing or other associated aspects.
- Emotional regulation: Anticipation of the pain and anxiety over here will be bringing the pain and anxiety and virtual reality in this case will be stimulating the calm and composing environment like underwater exploration or animated landscape which will allow the kids to relax and have fun. In this way they will be able to become much more emotionally stable during the treatment.
- Releasing the endorphins: The engagement of virtual reality experience will also be successful in increasing the dopamine and endorphin levels in the body, which will eventually reduce the pain and will be improving the mood.
Some of the most common and successful applications of virtual reality in paediatric healthcare are explained as follows:
- Acute pain management: This will be highly efficient in reducing the pain during the short-term medical procedure for kids, and further, this will serve as a powerful distraction that will allow the kids to focus on engaging visuals and interactive elements rather than the procedure itself. The entire process in this case will be redirecting the attention of the kids from pain and anxiety associated with the needle procedures to a stress-free and calm, and composed environment so that they can enjoy a very sorted out experience of vaccination and injection.
- In cases of burn and injuries: Deep injuries and burns can be significantly painful for the kids and they will be becoming very much stressed out especially at the time of cleaning and bandaging. So, shifting the focus to the virtual reality in this case will be highly recommended because it will be successful in managing the pain while handling such issues very well and will be transporting the kids to a whole new calm and interactive world.
- Chronic pain condition: Children who have been suffering from chronic conditions like juvenile arthritis, sickle cell disease and other associated conditions are very important, so that kids will be able to enjoy the benefits of the virtual reality therapy. Children who are suffering from childhood cancer will also be undergoing therapy and will be able to enjoy the benefits of it.
- Physical therapy support: Virtual reality support in the cases of physical therapy will be based on enhancing the rehabilitation motives that will be motivating the kids to exercise and indulge in physical activities, which will be goal-oriented so that movement and muscle use will be encouraged. Eventually, it will reduce the perception of the pain and will provide a significant number of benefits without any problem. Doctors at the ladies specialist hospital will highly recommend recommending the kids indulge in such aspects so that they can get rid of the perception of pain very successfully.
Apart from the points mentioned above, virtual reality in pain management is a very successful concept because it will reduce the dependence on pain medication very easily and will make the medical procedures much more tolerable, as well as enjoyable for kids. Children who will be using such aspects will be able to enjoy better compliance with the treatments, and further, this will lead to improved medical outcomes in the long run. So, as parents, you should get in touch with the doctor at best hospital for pregnancy so that you can provide your kids with the best-in-class approaches to pain management with the whole new world of patient-centred and technology-driven medicine approaches.