Samantha Peterson sat in a reclining chair with a headset stretched throughout her face. Colorful lights danced over her eyes as she peered across the room. Through the glasses, a holographic backyard bloomed.
Meanwhile, a slim tube protruded from her forearm right into a blood bag dangling beneath. She was the most recent donor to attempt combined actuality expertise at a blood drive on the Field Museum on Tuesday.
“It feels like I’m on drugs, in a cool way,” Peterson, 33, stated with fun. “You’re in this beautiful forest. It helps to distract you.”
The expertise, launched by Abbott and Blood Centers of America final yr, is designed to ease the expertise of blood donation. Participants put on light-weight headsets as they offer blood, whereas a soothing voice guides them by way of a glowing backyard.
“Blood donation, we wanted to reframe it as an experience,” stated Alex Carterson, divisional vice chairman of medical, medical and scientific affairs at Abbott. “Mixed reality offers this innovative, immersive digital experience while giving blood.”
The expertise comes amid one of the crucial extreme blood shortages in U.S. historical past. The American Red Cross stated Jan. 7 it was experiencing the bottom variety of blood donors in twenty years. Only about 3% of the eligible U.S. inhabitants donates blood, in accordance with Abbott.
Meanwhile, somebody within the nation wants blood each two seconds. It’s essential for traumatic accidents, continual sickness and most cancers sufferers — a single blood donation can save as much as three lives. Because pink blood cells have a 42-day shelf life, it’s all the time in demand.
“There’s always a blood shortage,” Carterson stated. “We go through cyclic periods of needing more donors, and this was a way for us to address the overall need for blood.”
The Tribune requested 9 of among the largest hospitals in Illinois if they’ve felt the consequences of the continuing blood scarcity. All stated they’re at working ranges, however many nonetheless have beneath optimum provide, notably of O-negative pink blood cells.
The indisputable fact that the influence on most hospitals is minimal speaks to suppliers’ skill to successfully distribute the blood, stated Amy Smith, space vice chairman of Versiti Blood Center.
“We prioritize where that blood is needed, and make sure that every patient that’s in immediate need gets that blood,” Smith stated.
The scarcity was notably exacerbated through the COVID-19 pandemic. Many individuals had been much less inclined to donate. Events that focus on first-time donors, resembling blood drives at colleges, had been additionally canceled.
“It’s important, because blood is perishable and can’t be stockpiled, that people continuously give,” stated Joy Squier, a spokesperson for the Illinois Red Cross.
It’s added to the rising downside of blood donors ageing out. Over the final decade, blood facilities have misplaced about 30% of donors underneath the age of 30, in accordance with Abbott.
“We can’t keep doing the same thing in recruiting blood donors and expecting a different result,” Smith stated. “We need to come up with innovative ways for a great customer experience.”
Abbott’s combined actuality expertise may incentivize extra donors, notably youthful donors, Carterson stated. A current research surveyed practically 300 donors after utilizing the headsets — 89.2% stated they’d be prone to donate once more. Of those that reported pre-donation anxiousness, 68.4% reported that their stress decreased.
It’s key that the headset is combined actuality, not digital — donors nonetheless are conscious of their environment, and workers can monitor them.
“The feedback that we’ve gotten has been universally really positive,” Carterson stated.
It’s nonetheless unclear if, and how briskly the headsets could possibly be carried out throughout extra blood facilities nationwide. Currently, they’re out there at a number of blood donation websites in Illinois, New York, Texas and Ohio.
“We would like it to become available as widely as possible,” Carterson stated. “Everybody needs blood at some point. We want to make sure that we have a safe, sustainable supply.”
Burt Blanchard, a Forest Park resident, began donating blood after he broke his neck in a automobile accident. He spent a month in a hospital, and blood donations saved his life, he stated. The 57-year-old now makes it a behavior to donate.
He seemed round curiously after a headset was fitted on him Tuesday. For a number of minutes, he described photographs of vibrant flowers enjoying by way of his glasses.
“I just think about others in need,” Blanchard stated. “But this is a fun thing on top of it.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”