Lego kit to show kids what it’s like to have an MRI –

Around 150,000 children in the UK have to undergo an MRI scan each year.

The machine creates detailed images inside the body that are used for everything from diagnosing the cause of headaches and joint pain to tracking cancer.

However, children are often unprepared for this experience and are often surprised to see the huge machine looming over them.

MRI scanners consist of a patient bed that slides into a tube containing scanning technology.

It also makes loud banging noises, so patients need to wear hearing protection, but the scan can take up to 90 minutes, which can overwhelm young people.

To allay their fears, toy giant Lego has developed a miniature model of an MRI scanner. Last month, 600 of them – with data from doctors and one patient – were donated to children’s hospitals around the world.

The model helps kids get to know the scanner, and doctors can explain how it works.

Tracey Martin, pediatrician at Leeds Children’s Hospital, says: “It’s difficult to explain to children what will happen during an MRI appointment. But they can play with the Lego scanner and pretend to be patient. Then it becomes less scary when it comes to reality”.

He adds: ‘Play can be effective in helping children understand complex ideas. It is also helpful to see how they treat the toys after the procedure. If they seem angry or trying to be offended, it could indicate that they found the experience traumatic”.

Keegan terrier keeping the peace in the wards

Dogs have long been used in healthcare – they have the ability to detect diseases like Parkinson’s and recognize diabetic attacks before they occur.

Their ultimate role is to appease sick children who are being treated in hospital.

Sheffield Children’s Hospital employs a 10-year-old West Highland Terrier named Keegan who visits the wards regularly.

If a patient is known to be particularly anxious, Keegan will meet him in the parking lot and stand by him during doctor’s appointments.

Sheffield Children’s Hospital employs a 10-year-old West Highland Terrier named Keegan who visits the wards regularly.

Babies may love the Keegan and let him cheat or take him with them when they go through anxiety-inducing procedures like blood tests.

Nurses recently took pictures of the dog with an MRI scanner to help a young patient identify the machine.

One parent said: “Without Keegan, my daughter’s anxiety was so intense that we couldn’t get through the hospital gates.

“He was prescribed drugs to calm him down that day, but in the end, because of Keegan, he didn’t need them. The dog gave him something to look forward to and look forward to in comfort before he was taken to the hospital.

Virtual reality moves away from painful reality

For some children, the blood test – or the sighting of a needle – may fail completely.

Aside from the inconvenience it causes to themselves and their parents, it can make the procedure itself difficult or even impossible to perform.

That’s why the doctors at Evelina London Children’s Hospital came up with a high-tech solution: virtual reality games.

Recent evidence has shown that headphones that immerse the wearer in a realistic 3D universe, in the left image, calm children who are afraid of blood testing and distract them from what is going on around them.

For some children, the blood test – or the sighting of a needle – may fail completely. That’s why the doctors at Evelina London Children’s Hospital came up with a high-tech solution: virtual reality games

After receiving the device, the almost hysterical teenagers were instantly happy when a needle went into their arm.

The researchers also used it on younger patients who had casts removed and found that they were less likely to wriggle and cry than others.

Doctors say the technology can even reduce the need for general anesthesia during minor procedures like removing ingrown toenails.

“We should be able to do these things under local anesthesia, but some babies get very upset and squirm,” says Mikhail Kokkinakis, consultant pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Evelina.

Children are given headphones before the procedure and choose the fantasy world they want to explore – options include swimming with turtles and a dinosaur safari.

“They wear it while there’s a procedure and they don’t realize what’s going on,” says Mr. Kokkinakis.

Fast in the operating room

No more going to the hospital bed for surgery – kids can now come for their procedures in style.

In March, Great Ormond Street Hospital in London introduced a toy sports car for patients with heart, lung, kidney and brain cancer to be taken to the operating room.

Doctors say walking through aisles helps distract kids from worries about procedures.

Great Ormond Street isn’t the first hospital to try this idea.

In 2018, a British auto club donated 160 toy Teslas to NHS children’s hospitals across the country. When Tesla co-founder Elon Musk found out about this, he donated £600 to any hospital with a car so they could buy a new one.

In 2018, a British auto club donated 160 toy Teslas to NHS children’s hospitals across the country. When Tesla co-founder Elon Musk found out about this, he donated £600 to any hospital with a car so they could buy a new one.

Volvo dealer Sturgess Motor Group has donated a fleet of five vehicles to Leicester Royal Infirmary.

One patient who had the opportunity to drive one is Sophia Fagan, six, from Market Harborough, Leicestershire.

“I was scared of the surgery and it got a lot better,” she says, adding that the trip to the theater where her eight teeth were extracted was “exciting and fun.”

“Being guided by doctors can be very daunting,” says child health expert Tracey Martin.

Award-winning games for courage

Potent drugs can have debilitating side effects, and getting children to return for further treatment is often a challenge.

But doctors at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool have found a way to motivate patients by developing a tablet game that offers digital “rewards” at every stage of treatment.

Children choose a cartoon character to represent them as they complete a variety of challenges, including playing keyboard songs and colorful puzzles.

Over time, they earn virtual stickers that unlock new games as well as new outfits for their characters.

Doctors at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool have found a way to motivate patients by developing a tablet game that offers digital “rewards” at every stage of treatment.

This means that the children want to go back to the hospital, hoping to earn more rewards. Research has shown that rewarding children for unpleasant treatment can combat hospital fear.

Claire Liddy of Alder Hey says the technology is particularly helpful for those who need regular infusions of medications.

“Children who use the app are more likely to go through treatment without too much delay,” Liddy says. “It makes the experience more positive”.

Masks that can make superheroes brave

Around 1,600 British children are diagnosed with cancer a year, and at least a quarter of them have cancer of the head and neck, including brain cancer.

They may have to undergo one of the most uncomfortable medical procedures: radiation therapy while wearing a tight-fitting plastic mask.

It is a machine that fires energy beams that penetrate the body and destroy tumors.

Experts at Leeds Children’s Hospital have found a way to make the process a little more bearable – nurses paint them to look like their favorite cartoon characters.

However, the head still needs to be locked to prevent these rays from hitting healthy tissues, so the mask is needed.

However, these masks, which also cover the neck and shoulders, can be suffocating and even scary.

Now the experts at Leeds Children’s Hospital have found a way to make the process a little more bearable – nurses have painted them to resemble their favorite cartoon characters.

Lisa Beaumont, from Leeds Children’s Hospital, says: “We ask children how they want to look before undergoing radiation therapy and we see them trying to be the characters in their masks.

“It gives them a superhero alter ego, which gives them the strength to deal with the disorder. We saw that the treatment results also improved.’