My MRI at Raigmore

"My MRI at Raigmore", previously known as "My MRI at King" is an immersive virtual reality application created by a hospital in the UK to help children ease their fear of going through an MRI scan at Raigmore Hospital.

The application gives a full walkthrough of the experience of receiving an MRI scan from the reception desk all the way to the actual scan where the child could also experience what it would be like to lay inside the machine. The application controls are very easy to use and allows the user to choose between viewing the tour in tablet mode or using a compatible VR headset such as the Google Cardboard.

There is a cartoon guide that explains and gives information about the general area such as the scan room and the waiting room and gives choices to the user on which scene they would like to view next and an option to go back to the previous area.

Some of the scenes include an explanation of what the parts of the machine do, a look from inside the machine taken from the perspective of the patient, and even a look into the radiographer's control room.

There are two versions of the walkthrough videos. There is a child version and an adult version. The way they differ is that the adult version is more straightforward in terms of the tour. It is very informative but unlike the children's version, it does not have as much comforting language and the pace is faster.

Platforms:

This app is available on Android and iOS phone/tablet platforms.

Price:

Free for download on the Google Play Store and the iTunes Store.

Another application, similar to this, that I stumbled upon is "Little Journey". This another application provided for children who are about to undergo surgery. This interactive VR application walks through scenarios reflecting what will happen on the day of surgery. It takes about 10-15 minutes to complete but the children can explore the hospital as many times as they would like. During the tour, the child is introduced to animated characters of hospital staff who explain what will happen in each area, give information about the equipment that will be used there and how the child might feel.

Reflection:

These applications not only ease the fear of the child/patient about to go through the procedure but it also helps ease the minds of the parents and helps them know what to expect on the day of which helps them in their ability to comfort their child. Apps like these are great and in the future could be extended to include other medical procedures such as a simple doctor's visit or an x-ray scan. This could also be applied to non-medical anxiety-inducing situations such as a child's first day at school, going to the barber,

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My MRI at Raigmore

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