A brand new device helps kids perceive medical procedures and really feel much less anxious about them.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A brand new device helps kids perceive medical procedures and really feel much less anxious about them. It’s referred to as a “Kitten Scanner” and Presbyterian Healthcare Services is the one hospital in New Mexico with one.
It won’t seem to be a lot, however the mini CT scanner helps kids in New Mexico perceive the completely different procedures they’re going via.
“The purpose is to minimize their anxiety, decrease their stress that might be affiliated with this, and just making sure that the in a playful way they actually can have a more fun experience, and again minimizing that fear that they might experience while being downstairs in the MRI or CT scan room,” stated Sal Bosler, a toddler life program supervisor of Presbyterian Healthcare Services.
So how does it work?
“There’s Ollie, Chris, and Doris — they’re different characters, whether it’s a crocodile, elephant or chicken we place them on the miniature scanner. Patients can actually manipulate the equipment in a playful way. It helps them to learn what’s going to happen to them, it helps them to teach what they need to do while they go get their procedure,” stated Bosler.
Once a toddler locations the toy and pushes it into the scanner, a digital story pops up.
Bosler says they’ve already skilled success within the few months they’ve had the machine.
“They enjoy being here, testing out all the characters when they go get their MRI or their CT, the procedure that they’re here for. They’re so excited to try out like, ‘Oh, I’m going to hold that still as Ollie, or I’m going to sit down and do a really good job like Chris did in his video.’ So it really does help them calm down,” stated Bosler.
Children 4 to 12 usually use the machine, nevertheless it’s open to all kids.
Bosler says Presbyterian is working to increase the device sooner or later. The Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation donated the Kitten Scanner to the hospital.
