By using gamification and buddy system techniques, the new solution is said to guide young children through the MRI procedure to significantly improve the patient experience
Kitten Scanner, part of Philips Pediatric Coaching. (Credit: Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
Health technology firm Royal Philips has introduced a new solution, dubbed Philips Pediatric Coaching, to improve the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) patient experience for young children.
Designed for parents and their children undergoing MRI scans, the new solution is part of the Philips Ambient Experience portfolio that includes a range of solutions to help enhance the experience of patients and staff.
By using gamification and buddy system techniques, the new solution is said to guide young children through the MRI procedure to significantly improve the patient experience.
Philips Healthcare environment and experience design general manager Werner Satter said: “As adults, many of us can experience anxiety and stress during an MRI exam, and this is especially true for our youngest patients. By removing factors that can trigger stress, we are enhancing the patient engagement experience for paediatric patients to help improve outcomes.
“With Philips Pediatric Coaching, we deploy gamification to help children better prepare for their MRI scan in a non-threatening environment at home, interacting with the same character and voice like Ollie the Elephant and friends, who also coaches them at the hospital, and can even coach them during the MRI procedure itself.”
Under the preparation for an MRI scan, children are provided with a gamified mobile app to familiarise themselves with an MRI procedure in a playful method. The app offers a virtual buddy, which serves as a role-play to perform an MRI scan.
In addition, augmented reality is used by the app to help children explore the MRI system at home before entering the hospital.
When the family visits the radiology department, the same familiar virtual buddy interacts with the child as they play with Philips’ newly enhanced Kitten Scanner, said the company.
Kitten Scanner is a small scale educational scanner, which enables children to scan various toy animals and view what’s inside each animal for a better understanding of the upcoming procedure.
The company is exhibiting the Philips Pediatric Coaching Solution at the 2021 International Pediatric Radiology Congress in Rome, Italy, which is being held between 11 October and 15 October.
The firm will also showcase the new solution at the upcoming 2021 Radiological Society of North America Annual Meeting (RSNA 2021) in Chicago, US, which will be held between 28 November and 2 December.
In August this year, Royal Philips launched two new secure and cloud-based HealthSuite solutions that help in eliminating barriers across patient care in a scalable, cost-effective model.