When Argerie Tsimicalis, RN, PhD, was tasked with bringing virtual reality (VR) to the Shriners Hospitals for Children庐 - Canada (SHC-Canada), she jumped at the chance to work collaboratively with former Chief of Staff, Dr. Reggie Hamdy and Director of Nursing and Patient Care Services, Ms. Kelly Thorstad. Together, they explored with the healthcare team how best to use this technology to alleviate pain and anxiety associated with medical procedures.
An associate professor at the Ingram School of Nursing (ISoN) and associate member of 91社区鈥檚 Department of Oncology and Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, Prof. Tsimicalis is a Fonds de recherche du Qu茅bec 鈥� Sant茅 Junior 2 research scholar and a nurse scientist at SHC-Canada in Montreal. As she explains, 鈥淲hen a child feels pain, that increases their fear around medical procedures such as cast removals, pin removals, and intravenous inserts. We found that that distracts children, reducing their pain and distress and allowing them to see the hospital as a safe space.鈥�
The work to bring VR to SHC-Canada began in earnest in 2018, where Drs. Hamdy and Tsimicalis co-supervised master鈥檚 research student Sofia Addad in 91社区鈥檚 Experimental Surgery program. Ms. Addad, conducted a in children鈥檚 health care, and at SHC-Canda. Alongside, Prof. Tsimicalis partnered with Prof Sylvie Le May, a child health pain expert based at CHU Sainte Justine and the Universit茅 de Montr茅al, Together, they were awarded a CIHR grant for a multi-site, on the use of VR during removal of pins and sutures.
Professor Tsimicalis鈥� team also was awarded an infrastructure grant to survey clinicians in Quebec regarding the use of VR in children鈥檚 healthcare settings and provide training and resources to support the implementation of VR into practice. The team has expanded, creating a hub of scientists, trainees, and advocates, where new projects have ensued. The team has welcomed PhD students conducting clinical trials studying the use of VR mindfulness programs depicting nature scenes to ease the perioperative anxiety for children as well as testing the feasibility of incorporating VR for dental, anesthesia and surgical interventions.
Recognized internationally for its expertise in treating rare and painful bone conditions such as osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), SHC-Canada encourages experimentation with innovative technologies. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a magical place where support for new ideas and creativity flourish - a perfect fit for my own creative bent,鈥� notes Professor Tsimicalis. Storytelling features prominently in her research, which uses different media such as comic books, songs and humorous videos as teaching tools. She is particularly proud of her work as an editor for , a novel about a 16-year-old girl living with OI who witnesses her younger sister fracturing her leg in a downhill skiing accident.
On April 26, 2024, with the support of the R茅seau de recherche en sant茅 buccodentaire et osseuse, Professor Tsimicalis hosted a Virtual Reality Workshop at SHC-Canada featuring leading experts in VR and implementation science. Ninety-five healthcare professionals attended the event, which included presentations by Prof. Tsimicalis, Guillaume Fontaine, Sylvie Le May, and St茅phane Bouchard.
Given that implementation of new technologies is a complicated process requiring support from a wide variety of stakeholders, Prof. Tsimicalis continues to work diligently on drafting policies, procedures and resources for the successful integration of VR SHC-Canada. 鈥淚鈥檓 a firm believer in interprofessional collaboration,鈥� she asserts. 鈥淔rom the beginning, we engaged everyone from top-down to bottom-up, from doctors, nurses and allied health professionals right through administrative, technical and kitchen staff.鈥�
Getting buy-in from patients, families and the general public has been critical to the success of VR implementation at SHC-Canada. To that end, Professor Tsimicalis has pursued creative ways to provide parents and children with information about VR in easily digestible formats. For example, she published two children鈥檚 books showcasing the use of VR, one of which was put together with the help of 91社区 nursing alumni Miranda Harington, and spearheaded the creation of a to educate children about non-pharmacological approaches to pain management.
鈥淰R has been a gamechanger for our patients,鈥� concludes Prof. Tsimicalis. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited to see what the future will bring.鈥�
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