VR Headsets for
Rheumatology

VR headsets have played a significant role in paediatric rheumatology care, particularly in managing needle phobia and anxiety associated with injections.

For many children, their rheumatology diseases have no cure with many treatments requiring immunosuppression to control inflammation and symptoms which can significantly affect their quality of life and be life threatening. Patient’s auto-immune diseases often require regular blood tests, injections and intravenous medications for months, years or even the rest of their lives.

With the generous support and help of our Little Heroes community, we have funded VR Headsets to be used within the rheumatology department within Paediatrics, assisting children from infant level to third level education.

VR headsets work as they immerse patients in a simulated world, limiting the brain’s ability to process pain and anxiety. These headsets are affective in limiting the distress and anxiety associated with patients receiving injections.

Thanks to donations to Little Heroes, children with juvenile arthritis no longer need to wait for an operating theatre slot for rheumatology treatment under general anaesthesia, which can be frightening for both the children and their families. Instead, VR headsets now enable the treatment to take place in hospital wards, offering a more comfortable and less distressing experience for the young patients.

Introducing VR Headsets for young people living in NI with rheumatological conditions, makes their disease journey much less distressing, avoiding unnecessary hospital visits, improving health outcomes and preventing needle phobia among young people at the outset.