App and VR reduce kids’ pre-op anxiety
New digital tools are cutting preoperative anxiety in children — one app reported measurable reductions in distress for kids, parents, and clinicians reported. Early trials also show virtual reality can prep pediatric patients for procedures and lower procedural stress, suggesting low-cost tech can improve the pediatric patient experience covered.
The app was created by pediatric anesthesiologist Dr. Lauren Welsh gpb.org, who ran the pediatric preoperative preparation clinic at Children’s Hospital of Georgia for about seven years gpb.org; PreOpApp™ is described as patent‑pending and is already listed on Google Play with an iOS release planned. preopapp.com A multicentre phase‑III randomized trial protocol testing the “Little Journey” smartphone app — a preoperative psychological preparation tool with built‑in VR capability for children aged 3–12 undergoing ambulatory surgery — is published by the trial team in BMJ Open. bmjopen.bmj.com A hospital pilot of a gamified VR perioperative walkthrough called “Surgery Prep” used Meta Quest hardware with 15 patients ages 5–14, reported full completion among enrollees and a System Usability Score of 72.2 (95% CI 64.0–80.3), with parents and patients rating the experience as engaging. childlife.scholasticahq.com A randomized study of 99 children found the VR group had significantly lower modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS‑SF) scores at leaving the waiting area and during induction (median 29.2 vs 39.6; P = 9×10−6) and better induction compliance link.springer.com, while a meta‑analysis pooling 12 RCTs reported a weighted mean difference of −12.69 in mYPAS favoring preoperative VR interventions. onlinelibrary.wiley.com
