Virtual hospital tours to ease children’s fears
Young patients undergoing surgery at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust can now take a new virtual reality tour of the children’s ward and operating theatres ahead of their procedure.
Two films have been produced and uploaded to the RUH’S website to show young patients what to expect when they come to the hospital to help calm any nerves.
The films were made by consultant anaesthetist Dr Rebecca Leslie and one features her daughter Sadie when she came to the hospital for an operation.
There videos - one aimed at under eights and the other for those aged eight and above - were filmed before the pandemic, so some staff may be seen wearing less PPE than they would now.
Subjects covered include having blood pressure and temperature taken, and having an anaesthetic or ‘sleep medicine.’
Rebecca said: “The films aim to make our young patients, and their parents, less anxious about coming to the hospital by showing them what to expect.
“We already have a couple of films on the website, but we felt it was time to update them and by using virtual reality we could give patients a much better look around the department.
“We find that patients who have seen the film are much more calm and relaxed when they arrive at the RUH. They also know what having an anaesthetic is like, which is just what we were hoping for.
“The videos have been funded by the Time is Precious charity, who do so much for the hospital. I can’t thank them enough.”
Neil Halford, from Time is Precious, said: “It’s been a tough 12 months for fundraising, but thanks to our supporters we can still support projects like this, which makes a massive difference.”