VIRTUAL REALITY: INCREASING EMPOWERMENT in the SELF-TREATMENT of PEOPLE with HEMOPHILIA with NEW TECHNOLOGIES

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Throughout the life of people with Hemophilia, there are critical moments such as self-treatment, which involves intravenous administration of medication. Fedhemo, as a complement to what is provided in the Hospital Centers, has established different workshops where children can learn this technique. After the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to rethink how to reach all people with Hemophilia and families so that we have launched a pioneering project in the world of congenital coagulopathies using new technologies such as virtual reality as a training tool for children with congenital coagulopathies to improve the empowerment of children. Methods: Since September 2020 until October 2021 we started this project to creat a virtual reality experience in self-treatment including children, aged between 7 and 12 years old with hemophilia in collaboration with Nixi for Children's VR designers, and a a multidisciplinary focus group with hematologist,nurse, Fedhemo's social workers and psychologist, and families with children with haemophilia at different ages. Results: The project was carried out after several sessions . The script was written by Nixi for Children's team and reviewed by the multidisciplinary group, including families, for further improvement and vocabulary accuracy. Production of the VR experience was done mixing 360° real environments and 3D animation. Inside the VR experience, Nixi, a 3D animated character, interacts with "Nacho", a 17 years-old boy with Hemophilia. Nixi and the spectator will travel back in time to discover how "Nacho" administered himself the medication for the first time when he was 8 years old. Both characters (17 and 8 years-old "Nacho") were performed by real chlidren with Haemophilia. Now we will send to the children the pack of virtual reality to live the experience. In order to assess the effectiveness and psicological aspects, we will perform 3 questionnaires, one of satisfaction by FEDHEMO, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Questionnaire (STAI) and the Haemo-QoL SF II. Discussion/Conclusion: New technologies such as virtual reality can be an example of how it could improve empowerment in self-treatment on that journey to autonomy in a chronic disease as well as redefine the role of the family in its accompaniment of the journey of people with hemophilia. Grant Fundación Solidaridad Carrefour.