Sometimes the only thing that will get a child to sit still is a video game – and soon, doctors might try this technique on their most fidgety young patients.
Lying completely motionless in an MRI machine can be a tall order for a small child, but fidgeting during the scan can render the image unusable. To combat this, a Halifax studio has created a motion-activated game that challenges children to remain perfectly motionless in order to win.
In “Don’t Stumble, Tumble,” the player controls a virtual monkey with a bucket of water atop its head. As the animal struts along a dirt path, even a small shoulder twitch could cause the bucket to spill, resulting in a quick loss for restless players.
The purpose of the game is to test which children will be able to handle an MRI before showing up to their appointment. According to Nathan Kroll, the president of Current Studios, there’s currently no screening process to weed out those who will likely move in the machine.
“And so we sat down and said, ‘Can we come up with a way in which we can evaluate the children to see who can lie still and who can’t?’” Kroll said on Canada AM Wednesday.
The result is his company’s tablet and phone app, which uses the devices’ motion recognition capabilities built into the cameras. Kroll hopes the game, which is being used in trials right now, will help increase the efficiency of the MRI process.
According to a video the studio put out, 50 per cent of six-year-olds and 30 per cent of seven-and-eight-year-olds are unable to sit still long enough for an MRI scan, a process in which even small movements can distort the resultant image.
Children who fail to sit through the scan often have their appointments rescheduled, and are administered general anesthetic on their next visit, which has a small chance of adverse side effects. A reliable screening process is also important, they argue, because the average wait time for an MRI with anesthetic is 144 days, compared to 68 days for one without.
Though the game is meant to be played at home before experiencing the real challenge, Kroll hopes this technique will soon stumble its way into hospitals.
Ultimately, the goal is to let young patients play the game built into the actual MRI machine, helping them to lie still for the scan.
“The next step is we’re looking for an MRI manufacturing partner to integrate the game into the actual MRI itself,” Kroll said. “So you’d practice at home playing the game, and then when you get into the MRI you are able to continue playing the game.”
