When a child faces a blood draw or an injection, anxiety can compromise the procedure. With VR, young patients immerse themselves in digital environments designed to distract from negative emotions and reduce stress.
The VR headset designed for hospitals and for children: comfort, wearability and guided content. It supports the management of procedural anxiety and pain, and can also be used in long-term care and intensive care settings.
Medical and nursing staff learn it instantly: an intuitive interface, quick start-up and simple management, making it easy to fit into the ward workflow.
Instant: put it on, press the button and you're inside the experience.
Two real-world moments: use on the ward and a blood-draw procedure supported by Puntino, even while wearing an oxygen mask.
APICE Puntino is available with:
Wearing the headset, the child enters an immersive experience tailored to their needs. The goal is to reduce the perception of pain and anxiety, improving cooperation during the procedure.
The project grew from the collaboration between Apice and paediatric facilities: supplying latest-generation headsets and developing VR experiences suitable for healthcare settings.
A solution designed for hospitals: quick to put on, comfortable, with guided content. Ideal in paediatrics but also usable in intensive care and long-term care, supporting multiple wards at moments when anxiety and pain become an obstacle to care.
Experiences and feedback from hospitals and clinical teams
Delivery of 10 headsets to the paediatric wards of AULSS 3 Veneziana with Dr Contato (Director General), Dr Pitter (Head of Paediatrics) and senior management.
Delivery of the APICE Puntino kit/headset at the Portogruaro local health authority with Medical Director Dr Antonella Tonetto and Dr Visentin.
The headset is used in clinical settings as a non-pharmacological aid: it helps manage anxiety, improves cooperation and makes procedures and examinations a calmer experience.
Dr Pitter — Venice
Reduced procedural anxiety, better cooperation and a "gentler" experience, even along repeated or lengthy care pathways.
A study published in the Journal of Pediatrics (researchers from two paediatric hospitals in Melbourne) highlighted significant benefits from the use of VR.
"The memory of a previous painful experience has a strong influence on the experience of pain during subsequent procedures. By intervening on these experiences, we can help both children and parents when necessary but painful, anxiety-inducing treatments are required."
— Simon Cohen, project coordinator
APICE Puntino was created and evolves together with clinicians: protocols, use cases and data collection to understand where VR delivers real value (and where it does not).
A multicentre study using the headsets to support procedures and the management of pain and procedural anxiety. The goal is to standardise ward use and measure the impact on the patient journey.
Protocol details / results: available on request.
In-field evaluation in paediatrics: using the headsets to support the management of anxiety and pain during procedures, with a focus on the child's experience and collaboration with the clinical team.
Evaluation in a paediatric setting with a focus on controlled use, employing the headsets to support the management of anxiety and pain during procedures
Trialling the headsets in a specific context: paediatric anorexia. Goal: exploring the potential of immersive experiences to support the therapeutic pathway and wellbeing during hospitalisation.
A selection of useful content for anyone wishing to explore VR in paediatric and hospital settings in greater depth.
VR headsets in ULSS3 paediatric wards: context, adoption and impact on the child's care journey.
Two VR headsets for paediatric wards: a concrete example of hospital roll-out.
Institutional page: VR in paediatrics to reduce anxiety and improve the care experience.
VR for young patients: local news coverage and in-field testimony.
A PIPER project use case: immersive VR and mask/headset for pain management.
A hospital headset: comfort, wearability and Oâ‚‚ mask compatibility. Also useful in intensive care and long-term care.
Below is a list of the facilities where APICE headsets are in place for the use of VR in paediatric settings.
Digital technology fits seamlessly into the organisation's paediatric "Pain-free Hospital" programme, in line with regional guidelines, offering non-pharmacological support in high-anxiety situations.
Fill in the form: we'll get back to you about a pilot project (paediatrics, intensive care, long-term care).
