Little patients in a virtual world. The K.I.D.S. Foundation and Nationale-Nederlanden are working on a VR project for children's hospitals

The use of virtual reality to support the youngest patients is one of the initiatives of the K.I.D.S. Foundation, which aims to create modern hospitals of the future. The introduction of VR solutions to medical facilities is expected to minimise pain and stress for children during medical procedures, such as intravenous injections. Nationale-Nederlanden employees were recruited as experts for the 'World's youngest headhunter' campaign initiated by the foundation. As part of their competence volunteering, they will share their experience and knowledge of UX design and support the development of a project based on virtual reality.

The introduction of VR technology, as opposed to traditional distraction methods, will allow children to be transported into a virtual world for the duration of their IV insertion. The solution will help distract patients' thoughts from the procedure, minimising their pain and stress, thereby building a positive hospital experience. The effectiveness of this solution is supported by research. According to the Department of Paediatric Nephrology in Wrocław, its use can reduce fear and anxiety accompanying the procedure by 70 per cent and short-term pain by 59 per cent.

– The project "Virtual reality as a cure for pain and anxiety" is a unique project of the K.I.D.S. Foundation. At the Children's Hospital Innovators Club, we look at the needs of children and doctors through their eyes. We know how much stress they have to deal with every day, especially during painful medical procedures. With the VR project, we can change this reality. It will allow us to once again, with the help of new technologies, change children's hospitals into safe and friendly places for young patients. Each project would not be possible without our volunteers, but we are still looking for experts whose knowledge and experience will support the foundation's work. To this end, the idea of the 'World's youngest headhunter' project was born. Thanks to this initiative, we have started a long-term cooperation with Nationale-Nederlanden. The support of this company is a great step for the foundation. We believe that thanks to it, we will be able to achieve our goals faster. - she said Dagmara Witek-Kuśmider, Vice-President of the K.I.D.S. Foundation, Children's Hospital Innovators Club 

The first procedures for which virtual reality will be used are some of the most common procedures through implanted intravenous ports, i.e.: drawing blood for laboratory tests, flushing the intravenous port, its puncture for chemotherapy or MRI. As part of the pilot, the programme will be conducted in the Chemotherapy Day Unit, Department of Oncology, at the Children's Health Centre in Warsaw. The VR programme will first target children aged 5-10 years, whose sensitivity to pain is higher.

The aim of the programme is to create a solution focused on the needs and specific functioning of its target groups - i.e. patients, their parents and nurses. That is why the K.I.D.S. Foundation invited a number of experts and people who directly benefit from the solution to design it. These include academics, medical staff, children, as well as specialists in creative activities or new technologies. Among them are also employees of Nationale-Nederlanden, who, as part of their competence volunteering, will support the team working on a positive user experience with VR technology. 

– Comfort and a sense of security are crucial in anyone's recovery. As an insurance company, we are aware of this and make every effort to meet these needs and support people in difficult situations. The K.I.D.S. Foundation project fits perfectly with our value system and mission. It is an extremely valuable experience - to be able to use our competence and know-how in building positive experiences and designing innovative solutions, to help others. We hope that technology will be increasingly used in the healthcare of the youngest patients - says Bartosz Sułkowski, head of UX at Nationale-Nederlanden.

Bringing innovation to children's hospitals is expected to make medical staff more comfortable, reduce stress for patients, speed up procedures and transform the whole experience of visiting a hospital. Nationale-Nederlanden has become a strategic partner of the VR project. The driving force behind the organisation's work and collaboration is competence volunteering. Additionally, the company has financially supported the pilot of the programme, which is scheduled to start in autumn 2021.