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Virtual Reality Facilitates Engagement in Physical Therapy in the Pediatric CVICU
Sydney Hemphill1, Alan Nguyen, Joann Kwong
1Division of Pediatric Anesthesia (Ms Hemphill, Mr Nguyen, and Drs Rodriguez, Wang, and Caruso), Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; Department of Physical Therapy (Dr Kwong), Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford, California.
Insights
Virtual reality (VR) enhances physical therapy for critically ill children in pediatric intensive care units. This innovative approach improves engagement and participation in rehabilitation, aiding recovery and discharge.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric critical care medicine
- Rehabilitation technology
- Virtual reality applications
Background:
- Early mobilization and cognitive stimulation are crucial for improving outcomes in critically ill children.
- Engaging pediatric patients in physical therapy can be challenging during extended intensive care unit (ICU) stays.
Observation:
- Virtual reality has been previously utilized for pain and anxiety management in the cardiovascular ICU.
- This report details the novel application of VR to augment physical therapy for a pediatric patient post-heart transplantation.
Findings:
- Virtual reality successfully encouraged patient engagement in physical therapy sessions.
- The child participated for longer durations, directly addressing barriers to discharge.
- VR was safely implemented with careful patient selection and monitoring in a critical care setting.
Implications:
- Virtual reality presents a promising tool to enhance physical therapy adherence and effectiveness in pediatric critical care.
- This approach may help overcome engagement challenges and expedite recovery for critically ill children.
- Further research is warranted to establish best practices for VR integration in pediatric intensive care rehabilitation.
Purpose:
The purpose of this report is to demonstrate the successful application of virtual reality to improve physical therapy in the pediatric cardiovascular intensive care unit. Early mobilization and cognitive stimulation improve morbidity of critically ill children. However, maintaining child engagement with these therapies can be challenging, especially during extended intensive care stays.
Summary Of Key Points:
While virtual reality has been successfully used as an analgesic and anxiolytic in the cardiovascular intensive care unit, this report demonstrates its novel use as a tool to augment physical therapy for a child who had been debilitated after heart transplantation. Virtual reality encouraged the child to engage in physical therapy sessions, participate for greater durations, and directly address barriers to discharge.
Conclusions And Recommendations For Clinical Practice:
While further studies are needed to define best practice, this report demonstrates that virtual reality can be safely used for carefully selected and monitored children in critical care.
