Children guided by Korea’s beloved TV star Pororo – also known as Potongryeong, or President Pororo – in a VR video showed less anxiety before surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH) said Monday.

Children are not used to anesthesia and surgery, resulting in more than 50 percent of pediatric patients reporting high levels of anxiety and fear. The stress often stems from separation from parents, unfamiliarity with medical procedures and exposure to unfamiliar environments. In some cases, the child may experience post-operative behavioral changes such as dietary disorders, nightmares, separation anxiety and anger tantrums.

The 4-minute virtual reality (VR) experience piloted at SNUBH shows children a run-through of the operation room with Pororo as a patient undergoing anesthesia. The little penguin explains the anesthesia process to increase their understanding and calm their nerves, SNUBH officials said.

To test whether the VR video had a significant effect, the research team divided 69 children about to undergo surgery into two groups starting January. The team showed the VR video to 34 children while giving an oral run-down of the procedure without Pororo to 35 others. SNUBH’s VR medical research team led by Han Sung-hee and Ryu Jung-hee used VR’s (CEO: Lee Gil-jae) technology to develop the video.

Data showed the level of anxiety dropped by 40 percent in the Pororo group compared to the control group. Compliance with instructions also increased by more than 50 percent with 82 percent of children who watched the VR video cooperating with instructions versus 34 percent who did so in the control group.

Source: Seoul National University Bundang Hospital

“Although sedatives can be used to reduce anxiety before surgery, these drugs may have side effects such as respiratory depression and prolonged anesthesia,” Ryu said. “In contrast, experiencing the operating room before surgery will help children increase their confidence and comfort while avoiding unnecessary sedative drugs.”

“It’s important to help children and their parents become familiar with the operating room, the preparation process and the anesthesia process to reduce pre-operative surgery anxiety,” Han said. “We plan to carry out further research to confirm the effect of VR on the change of postoperative behaviors of pediatric patients.”

The British Journal of Surgery selected the results of the study as the cover study in its November issue, SNUBH said.

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