Brief Summary of the Project

Children hospitalized for long periods face high levels of anxiety, pain, and emotional isolation, which negatively affects treatment adherence, psychological well-being, and the overall hospital experience. JoyStream is a Virtual Reality (VR) platform, supported by 5G connectivity, designed to create immersive and interactive experiences that allow children to explore safe, stimulating, and emotionally positive virtual worlds. The platform works as a non-pharmacological complement to healthcare, promoting the reduction of anxiety, pain perception, and stress associated with hospitalization and medical procedures. Aimed at hospitalized children and adolescents (especially in long-term situations), the platform also involves families and healthcare professionals, reinforcing a more humane and user-centered approach. The solution is intended for hospitals, pediatric units, and health centers, operating on an institutional subscription model, with customizable content and specific training for clinical teams.

Prototype Description

The prototype consists of a functional version of a Virtual Reality platform for pediatric hospital settings, designed for supervised use by healthcare professionals. Its main components include:

• Catalog of immersive virtual environments: Set of themed virtual worlds (nature, fantasy, exploration, calm and social environments) designed to promote relaxation, curiosity, and positive emotional engagement.
• Clinical context-oriented experiences: Content specifically designed for use during medical procedures or prolonged periods of hospitalization, functioning as a tool for therapeutic distraction and emotional support.
• Simple and intuitive clinical interface: Control panel that allows healthcare professionals to select experiences, adjust session duration, and tailor content to the child's age, clinical condition, and preferences.
• 5G connectivity support: Use of 5G to ensure smooth, low-latency VR experiences, enabling high-quality content streaming, rapid adaptation of environments, and scalability of the solution across different hospital units.

Sustainable Development Goals

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being Promotion of mental health, pain reduction, and improvement of quality of life in a pediatric hospital setting.

Competition

Currently, the use of Virtual Reality in a pediatric context occurs mainly on an ad hoc basis, through isolated initiatives or pilot projects, focused mainly on distraction during specific procedures. These approaches tend to rely on generic content, without therapeutic continuity or integration into a structured clinical ecosystem. JoyStream differs from existing solutions in that:

• It is a structured platform with an organized catalog of immersive environments developed for the pediatric hospital setting.
• It goes beyond occasional distraction, promoting positive emotional connections and a continuous experience throughout the hospital stay.
• Integrating 5G connectivity, ensuring more fluid, scalable experiences that are ready for future expansion.
• Adopting a child-centered approach, also involving families and healthcare professionals in the care process.
• Presenting a sustainable model for institutional implementation, with associated training for clinical teams.

Next Steps

In the mentoring and future development phase, the project aims to evolve in the following areas:

• Clinical validation with pediatric healthcare professionals, assessing the impact on anxiety, cooperation, and the hospital experience.
• Further personalization of content, adapting experiences to different ages, pathologies, and clinical contexts.
• Integration of qualitative and quantitative metrics, allowing for evaluation of the platform's use and effects.
• Expansion of the VR environment catalog, including more advanced collaborative or narrative experiences.
• Exploration of hybrid and remote models, powered by 5G, for monitoring before or after hospitalization.

Built With

• a-frame