Hong Kong hospital uses VR tour to ease children’s fears ahead of operations

Eight-year-old Aidan was terrified at the prospect of having to undergo an operation at the Hong Kong Children’s Hospital in Kowloon Bay in 2024. But his fears eased once he put on a virtual reality (VR) headset. Guided by a panda character, the VR programme gave him knowledge of what to expect. It allowed him to walk down the corridor and explore the operating theatre, pick the colours of medical staff’s gowns and choose how he wanted to be anaesthetised – down to the flavour of sleep-inducing...