2011 – ongoing
Relaxation based interactions for children who undergo painful, recurent procedures
A collaboration with paediatrician Dr Angie Morrow of the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Kids Rehab, investigating the adaptation of George Khut’s heart-rate-controlled artworks to manage the pain and anxiety experienced by children undergoing painful and recurrent medical procedures such as injections for Botulinim ‘botox’ treatments, baclofen pump changes, central line changes, and lumbar puncture.
The recurrent nature of these procedures can result in a build-up of anticipatory anxiety, causing significant distress to the children, exacerbating the perceived intensity of the painful stimulus during treatment, and further complicating veinipuncture procedures in cases of extreme vasoconstriction. If left un-addressed, the intense distress and anxiety experienced during these procedures can lead to avoidance behaviors that may stay with an individual into adulthood.
The aim of the BrighHearts project is to design, build and then test whether a biofeedback assisted relaxation training ‘app’ can offer benefits above and beyond current iPad based ‘distraction’ methods for children who under go painful recurrent procedures.
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Synapase Artist Residency 2011
Starting with a residency supported by the Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT), George has been interviewing staff and children at the hospital to gain an understanding of the various condition in which these procedures take place; the varieties of ways that children respond to painful procedures; and methods use by clinicians to manage pain and anxiety.
Prototyping exhibitions held in hospital waiting areas have provided enabled George to document and evaluate children’s responses to his biofeedback interactions. To date these inteactions have focused around the adaptation of ‘Cardiomorohologies’ visualization system for iOS (iPad, iPhone, iPod) – through a collaboration with interaction designer and computer programmer JasonMcDermott (ARUP Urban Informatics).
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2012-2014…
The next stage of the project will involve a pilot study followed by a clinical trial that will assess the effectiveness and impact of these interactions compared to standard iPad-based pain and anxiety management distraction methods.
You can read more about this project at the ANAT-hosted BrightHearts process blog
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Exhibition Dates
Prototyping exhibitions held on-site at the hospital have been an important research and development tool for the BrightHearts project – providing an opportunity to observe how children interact and respond to the work, the language and imagery that they use to describe their interaction and related exciting/stressful and relaxing nervous states. In 2011 these exhibitions focussed on interactions with the wider hospital community – with exhibitions in the ‘Galleria’ central atrium area of the hospital. The next phase of prototyping exhibitions will be held in actual waiting room settings where children and families spend time waiting for/between appointments.
Exhibition Dates 2012
December 2011: Prototyping exhibition at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Galleria
November 2011: UTS DAB Lab Gallery, Ultimo,
July 2011: Prototyping exhibition at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Galleria
Exhibition Dates 2011
December 2011: Prototyping exhibition at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Galleria
November 2011: UTS DAB Lab Gallery, Ultimo,
July 2011: Prototyping exhibition at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Galleria
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Credits
George Khut: interaction concept, interaction programming (Max-MSP), production management
Dr Angie Morrow: Staff specialist, Kids Rehab, chief investigator – acute pain management; hospital and research office liason
Jason McDermott (and Greg Turner): iOS development (visualisation software)
Angelo Fraietta (Smart Controller) and Frank Maguire: sensor electronics and hardware design
Ben Cloyd and Dr Melissa Yogui-Watanabe: research assistants, Kids Rehab.
Caroline Dale: Qualitative researcher – children’s experiences of recurrent painful procedures
Tuan Mahn Vu, Lukas Blödorn, Christoph Eibisberger, and Monette Tan (Final Year Students – Extreme Programming Workshop, Faculty of Engineering and IT): Heart Rate Variability Analysis software
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Acknowledgements
BrightHearts has been supported by the James N. Kirby Foundation (medical grant); the Australian Network for Art and Technology and the Children’s Hospital at Westmead in association with the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.
