In pediatric care, it is not only vital to take care of the patient, but also to comfort them. Entertainment technology has played a pivotal role in creating a comfortable space for children to undergo treatment without fear.
Entertainment technology — ranging from video games to virtual reality (VR) — has transformed the way that people engage with stories, play, and even education. Beyond its role in leisure, this technology is increasingly being adapted to healthcare, where it can create comforting spaces for patients and reduce the fear often associated with medical treatment. For example, VR distraction therapy — the use of VR headsets to immerse patients in a virtual world and keep their minds away from the treatment in the real world — has been supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as an effective way to reduce pain and anxiety in children undergoing procedures.
Companies like Disney are utilizing entertainment technology to provide a more comfortable and engaging experience for pediatric patients’ hospital visits. This area of the AdventHealth Hospital for Children in Orlando, Fla., is called the Walt Disney Pavilion. According to Robert Iger, the executive chairman of the Walt Disney Company, the Walt Disney Company is “working with experts in pediatric healthcare” to ease the stress of hospital stay for younger patients by creating a “personalized and engaging atmosphere” using a combination of its beloved characters and creative technology.
Hospital stays can be especially challenging for children and their families, often affecting the mental well‑being of both patients and parents. Disney’s main goal has been to provide a sense of comfort and joy in these difficult moments in order to put families at ease and create an overall improved experience.
Furthermore, AdventHealth’s emergency room developed themed rooms geared towards pediatric patients’ favorite Disney characters. Emergency room visits can be long, sometimes lasting up to 4-6 hours, depending on the severity of illness. Given the extended nature of these visits, offering entertainment in a room themed with patients’ favorite characters can improve the overall mood of both the children and families during these visits.
According to Timo Gornor, vice president of the Disney Institute, the ER is normally a high-pressure environment, but the Walt Disney Company is doing their part to make the experience a little more enjoyable. The positive impacts that these new installations on creativity have on children’s hospitals around the country has the potential to be astounding, and the ability to provide a comfortable environment for patients of all ages is vital to the medical system.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source the-tartan.org ’
