IN THIS ISSUE SnowWorld and Virtual Reality at UW Medicine The ...
IN THIS ISSUE SnowWorld and Virtual Reality at UW Medicine The ...
IN THIS ISSUE SnowWorld and Virtual Reality at UW Medicine The ...
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WITH SNOW AS FAR as his eyes can see, the boy begins to fly through the air down the twists <strong>and</strong> turns<br />
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of the wintry canyon. On his right, a group of penguins greet him. Turning to the left, he spots his target: a<br />
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large snowman. In one quick move, the boy tosses a snowball. And then another. In a puff, the snowman<br />
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disappears. “Yes!” the boy proclaims with s<strong>at</strong>isfaction.<br />
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With increasing concentr<strong>at</strong>ion, the child winds his way through the rest of the canyon. He fells another<br />
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snowman. <strong>The</strong>n, slowly, the snow scene disappears. <strong>The</strong> music fades. When the boy looks up, his nurse tells<br />
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him he’s done for the day. She has finished the painful process of cleaning his wounds.<br />
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Just another distracting video game? Not in the least. <strong>SnowWorld</strong> — a virtual reality program used <strong>at</strong> the<br />
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<strong>UW</strong> Burn Center <strong>at</strong> Harborview Medical Center — has kept the boy’s pain <strong>at</strong> bay.<br />
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<strong>The</strong> psychology of pain<br />
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<strong>The</strong> pain associ<strong>at</strong>ed with severe burns is<br />
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well established in medical liter<strong>at</strong>ure as<br />
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one of the worst kinds of pain th<strong>at</strong><br />
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humans can endure. <strong>The</strong> process of<br />
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follow-up care — the removal of dead<br />
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tissue, stretching of tender skin to main-<br />
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tain elasticity, <strong>and</strong> exercise of muscles<br />
<strong>and</strong> joints involved in rehabilit<strong>at</strong>ion —<br />
retraum<strong>at</strong>izes nerve receptors <strong>and</strong> can<br />
be excruci<strong>at</strong>ing. Although medic<strong>at</strong>ion<br />
helps allevi<strong>at</strong>e the pain, p<strong>at</strong>ients still<br />
suffer.<br />
Since 2000, the <strong>UW</strong> Burn Center has<br />
used the virtual reality program Snow-<br />
World to help p<strong>at</strong>ients control extreme<br />
pain. As with many of the most innov<strong>at</strong>ive<br />
projects <strong>at</strong> <strong>UW</strong> <strong>Medicine</strong>, the<br />
<strong>SnowWorld</strong>, a virtual reality program developed <strong>at</strong> the University of Washington, helps reduce the excruci<strong>at</strong>ing pain<br />
development of <strong>SnowWorld</strong> has multi- felt by burn p<strong>at</strong>ients during rehabilit<strong>at</strong>ion <strong>and</strong> wound care. Here, a p<strong>at</strong>ient peers into goggle lenses th<strong>at</strong> are<br />
disciplinary roots.<br />
mini<strong>at</strong>ure computer screens.<br />
In the early 1990s, Hunter Hoffman,<br />
Ph.D. ’92, a <strong>UW</strong> research scientist with a “Pain from ongoing procedures such Both Hoffman <strong>and</strong> P<strong>at</strong>terson under-<br />
background in cognitive psychology, as wound care is the most challenging stood th<strong>at</strong> pain involves much more<br />
started using virtual reality (VR) in his type of pain to control,” says P<strong>at</strong>terson. than a sequence of physiological reac-<br />
studies of human memory. Seeing the While drugs can provide some pain tions. It also has a complex psychology.<br />
power of this new technology to capture relief, he was mindful of their limita- A pain signal requires interpret<strong>at</strong>ion,<br />
<strong>at</strong>tention, Hoffman began exploring tions <strong>and</strong> drawbacks: neg<strong>at</strong>ive side <strong>and</strong> interpret<strong>at</strong>ion requires <strong>at</strong>tention. If<br />
other applic<strong>at</strong>ions for virtual reality. effects, tolerance, <strong>and</strong> dependency. <strong>at</strong>tention can be re-directed from the<br />
Across town <strong>at</strong> Harborview Medical Eventually, a grant from the N<strong>at</strong>ional pain signals, pain can be gre<strong>at</strong>ly dimin-<br />
Center, David P<strong>at</strong>terson, professor of Institute of General Medical Sciences, ished. For this reason, distraction has<br />
rehabilit<strong>at</strong>ion medicine <strong>and</strong> staff<br />
a branch of the N<strong>at</strong>ional Institutes been widely used to control pain.<br />
psychologist <strong>at</strong> the <strong>UW</strong> Burn Center, of Health, allowed P<strong>at</strong>terson to launch a <strong>Virtual</strong> reality takes distraction a step<br />
had embarked on pain-control explo- more formal study on non-pharmaco- further. Given th<strong>at</strong> virtual reality<br />
r<strong>at</strong>ions of his own.<br />
logical approaches to pain management. engages many senses, Hoffman theor-<br />
11<br />
Photo <strong>and</strong> copyright Hunter Hoffman
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