Art+ collaborated with digital arts studio, Megaverse, to deliver an augmented reality game which helps patients through their treatment with burns-related injuries at Sheffield Children’s. This innovative application changes the patient experience, transforming the clinical space into a virtual environment to help children and young people recovering from burn injuries.

The app, which aims to distract patients whilst they’re being treated, is one of the first times an augmented reality app has been used in a clinical healthcare setting. It aims to reduce stress and anxiety around treatments such as wound dressings by increasing endorphins and decreasing cortisol levels in patients. The reduction of these stress hormones has been shown to improve healing, which in turn improves long-term outcomes by potentially reducing the development of scarring.

Through the app, the treatment rooms are transformed into an exciting array of arctic and woodland worlds that come to life through an iPad. Complementary artwork on the walls forms the backdrop for the game, with a calming 3-D soundscape complete with a variety of compositional layers to ensure it does not become repetitive for those undergoing longer procedures.