New VR Technology to Help Needle-Phobic Children

Getting an injection or having a blood test is something that many children – and even some adults – dread. Fear of needles can lead to anxiety and make medical visits stressful for both the child and healthcare staff. Right now, a new VR solution is being tested in Halland, designed to distract children with needle phobia and make the experience less unpleasant – perhaps even enjoyable.

For many children, injections and blood tests are among their biggest fears. Needle anxiety can cause significant distress, but if a child can focus on something else, it can make a real difference. Last year, Leap for Life tested this theory in collaboration with the Danish company Khora Virtual Reality, paediatric clinics in Halmstad and Varberg, as well as the surgical and intensive care units at Halland Hospital.

Following an expert panel review, the paediatric clinic in Halmstad was given the opportunity to trial VR headsets to test Khora’s solution – and the results were promising. The children showed reduced anxiety, had a better overall healthcare experience, and in some cases, even needed less pain relief during procedures. In the long run, this technology could mean fewer children needing to be physically restrained during blood tests and a reduction in the use of nitrous oxide sedation.

VR Technology in Primary Care in Halland

Already in use at Denmark’s Rigshospitalet, this method has now been introduced in Halland. To assess how VR works in primary care, the project has purchased eight VR headsets for five different healthcare centres in Halland, as well as paediatric clinics in Halmstad, Varberg, and Kungsbacka, for further trials.

“At Leap for Life, we work to find new and innovative solutions to improve and develop healthcare services. VR technology is a great example of how digital tools can make healthcare more flexible. Being able to test this in real healthcare environments is an important step towards implementing future technology in today’s care,”
says Peter Uppman, Project Manager at Leap for Life.

International Collaboration Driving Innovation

The VR initiative is part of CareWare Nordic 2, an EU project aimed at strengthening collaboration between businesses, public organisations, academia, and civil society. The goal is to develop shared solutions that can be implemented in the welfare sector, and using VR to combat needle phobia is a perfect example of how digital innovation can make a real difference in healthcare. Both Leap for Life and Region Halland are partners in the project.

“This project demonstrates how collaboration between countries and organisations can create real change. Through CareWare Nordic 2, we have had the opportunity to test innovative solutions in both Sweden and Denmark, and we see that VR technology has great potential to improve healthcare on both sides of the Øresund. Partnerships like this are essential for driving progress,”
concludes Peter Uppman.

Now, children in Halland who feel nervous about injections can escape into a VR world while the nurse carries out their procedure – and both staff and children agree that it works brilliantly.