Transforming Pediatric Care Through Virtual Reality
For more than six years, FAME Hospital has been proud to partner with Stanford University to strengthen healthcare through education, mentorship and innovation. During their visit this year, Dr. Cynthia Khoo and senior resident Dr. Eric Aksu expanded FAME's use of immersive virtual reality (VR) technology while providing hands-on training to our anesthesia, operating room and recovery teams, further enhancing our ability to deliver compassionate, child-centered care.
Through a generous donation from Invincikids—a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving pediatric healthcare by providing no-cost access to immersive technology—FAME has expanded its use of VR headsets to help reduce anxiety and pain for children undergoing medical procedures. The technology is now being used in the perioperative area, during spinal anesthesia placement and in the Emergency Department procedure room, where it has already received encouraging responses from both patients and parents.
Immersive VR works by transporting children into calming, engaging virtual environments, helping them feel more relaxed during procedures such as blood draws, vaccinations, minor wound care, burn treatment and suturing. Studies have shown that VR can significantly reduce anxiety and, in some cases, lessen or even eliminate the need for sedatives or pain medication, creating a safer and more comfortable experience for young patients.
Beyond pain and anxiety management, VR also supports pediatric rehabilitation by encouraging movement and improving participation in physical therapy. By capturing a child's attention in an interactive virtual environment, the technology helps increase therapy compliance, supports better long-term recovery and can even reduce chronic pain through consistent movement.
At FAME, we believe every child deserves healthcare that is not only effective but also compassionate. We are grateful to Stanford University, Dr. Khoo, Dr. Eric Aksu and Invincikids for helping bring this innovative technology to Northern Tanzania. Together, we are advancing pediatric healthcare through education, partnership and innovation - one child at a time.