The same playful and entertaining virtual reality that is accessed by putting a headset on the head also finds concrete beneficial applications in the health sector. With the approval of its technology by Health Canada, a start-up Montrealer has just started offering virtual reality therapies at the Hôtel-Dieu d’Alma.
Paperplane Therapeutics was founded in 2019 by a physician and PhD student specializing in digital and immersion media. The first therapy they developed using a virtual reality headset and which has received Health Canada’s approval is aimed at children. She helps them fight anxiety before a basic, but still agonizing operation: spending time in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine.
“It avoids having to use a sedative to calm slightly nervous children who could move and thus ruin the operation, summarizes Doctor Jean-Simon Fortin, CEO of the young shoot of six people. To save time, we tend to resort far too often to medication before an MRI, simply to speed up the procedure when we have several to do during the day. »
Rather than having the young patient ingest a medicated product, he is made to put on a virtual reality helmet. Paperplane bets on the corporate version of the headset from the company Pico, a recognized and highly valued brand in the world of multimedia and digital entertainment. Above all, “its terms of use and its respect for user privacy are much better than those of Meta”, the parent company of Facebook, better known to the general public for its Quest-branded headsets, says the Dr Fort.
It avoids having to use a sedative to calm slightly nervous children who could move and thus ruin the operation. To save time, we tend to resort far too often to medication before an MRI, simply to speed up the procedure when we have several to do during the day.
The results speak for themselves: 80% of pediatric patients who undergo virtual reality therapy say they have seen a significant reduction in their anxiety. Half say they experienced a reduction in pain related to the operation, while almost a third say the pain just disappeared. In addition, “100% of the staff are satisfied”, assures Jean-Simon Fortin.
Oncology and hemodialysis
Following this initial success, Paperplane Therapeutics has expanded its therapy offering. The virtual reality application set up at the Hôtel-Dieu d’Alma is aimed at an older clientele and will be used in even more delicate circumstances.
For example, patients undergoing transcranial magnetic stimulation will be able to immerse themselves upstream in a universe that will help them control their anxiety through deep breathing exercises. This stimulation is used in the treatment of certain serious mental illnesses, such as clinical depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress.
The therapies thus offered will be improved before moving on to the clinical study stage to be in turn approved by Health Canada later this year, explains Jean-Simon Fortin. “We will then have data on the calming value and its acceptance by professionals. The therapy must work well, but it must also be well received by the caregivers. »
In hospitals, the start-up also sees promising applications of virtual reality in oncology and during certain more specific treatments, such as hemodialysis. Elsewhere in health, she is preparing another series of applications that she will offer to dentists who want to calm their most anxious patients.
“We can serve wherever we can help patients who are in pain, since technology is a good way to combat anxiety and pain. »
From fax machine to VR…
The use of virtual reality in healthcare is new, but not that much. This technology currently represents a US$2.7 billion market in North America. According to forecasts from heavyweights like Alphabet (Google), HP, Microsoft and Samsung, who all have an eye on this sector, this market will be worth four times as much within five years.
Much of this growth will go towards the training of future health professionals. But its use to replace other types of care will in many cases allow specialized establishments to reduce their operating costs. The therapies offered by Paperplane are sold under license on an annual basis, at a fraction of the price of the pharmaceutical products they replace.
The objective of the Montreal company is to expand its place in the North American health technology market as quickly as possible. Its leaders are already in discussions with partners, including Telus Health, to help them in this expansion.
The Quebec health network is struggling to make the digital shift. His excessive dependence on fax machines has been talked about for years. Last week, the issue once again made headlines, but this time in Ontario. Clearly, there is room to modernize healthcare across the continent…