Immersive virtual tour prepares new parents for neonatal intensive care

By Lucy Ashton 

Few expecting parents anticipate that their new-born’s first moments will be spent in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). 

The experience of a NICU admission can be daunting, often leaving new parents unprepared for the overwhelming sights and sounds of the unit.

However, one courageous mother has lent her voice to an innovative project designed to alleviate the anxiety new parents feel when visiting their newborn in NICU.

Asma Anwar appears in a new 360° immersive virtual tour of the Neonatal Unit at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow. 

She has personal experience of the unit, with her newborn twin girls being cared for there in 2018.

The tour, which allows parents to familiarise themselves with the unit and meet some of the team who work there, was developed in collaboration with patients’ families and the hospital’s neonatal team.

It was the idea of Senior Charge Nurse Tracy Clinton and created by graphic designer David Springford, from Atom Design, who also has first-hand experience of being a parent in the Neonatal Unit, with the support of Hi Scotland and the West of Scotland Innovation Hub, hosted by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

The virtual tour provides an invaluable opportunity for parents to understand what to expect at the unit, which is often encountered under the most stressful and worrying circumstances, and to feel more connected to staff and other parents.

One of the twins, Inara, sadly passed away four days later, while Yasna was able to go home with Asma and her dad, Anwar, after 169 days in intensive care.

When the neonatal team sought a parent to help guide other families through the unit in the walkthrough, Asma reached out.

She appears at the start of the tour and at various other points, explaining how the unit will look, feel and sound, as well as making important points about hand hygiene and mental health.

Other parents join her at appropriate parts of the walkthrough, telling their own neonatal stories.

The interactive tool, which can be found here, incorporates real audio from the neonatal unit, like beeping, to help parents feel more at ease when they walk in for the first time.

It also includes information points explaining what different pieces of equipment may be used for, and is fully accessible with translation for both the text and voice elements, and a British Sign Language version available.

“We wanted to make it positive,” said Asma, “Tracy believed with my experience I could help them make something that is useful for other families, so I agreed to do it to help make parents feel more at ease.

“The walkthrough touches on every aspect of NICU, from where you can see your baby to where to wash your hands.” 

Asma and her family remain incredibly grateful for the help they received from the unit at such a challenging time.

She added: “Our time in the neonatal unit was a rollercoaster, but the staff were so supportive. The doctors were straightforward, yet empathetic.

“When the girls were delivered, they told us just to take it one day at a time. We took that on board, and we took it day by day. There were good days and bad days, especially when Inara deteriorated after 48 hours.

“They took great care of our son, Orhan, who at that point was a year and three months old.

“He broke his wrist a week before we had the girls, and he was always in the pram at that point. When we lost Inara, the staff fed, entertained, and put my son to bed.

“They rearranged things to ensure he slept properly, so that we had time with Inara.”

“The staff did everything a mother could have done, from bathing her to singing.

“We got cards for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, and everything in between.

“They missed nothing, and the video updates via vCreate – funded by Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity – were amazing.

“That experience is bittersweet, but we are very thankful we got all that support and the treatment that was needed.

“There was psychological support, financial help, even visa applications for my parents.”

Dr Neil Patel, Consultant Neonatologist with NHSGGC at the Royal Hospital for Children and Clinical Director of Hi Scotland, said: “We hear from families how stressful it can be having a baby admitted to neonatal intensive care and we want to support them in every way that we can.

“This new Neonatal Virtual Tour is a really innovative technology that we co-developed with families in our unit.

“It means they now have a unique way to familiarise themselves with the unit, meet our team and other families and answer some of the questions they may have.

“We also hope it will provide reassurance and make it a much less daunting experience.

“We are extremely grateful to Asma for sharing her personal experience to improve that of other patients and their families.”

The Virtual Tour was created by graphic designer David Springford, who runs Jack’s Star Tours and has first-hand experience as a parent in a neonatal unit.

David said: “Working with Neil, Tracy, and the team on the immersive 360° tour has been a privilege.

“This project has provided a vital lifeline to families, enhancing their preparation, reducing anxiety, and improving the overall patient experience.

“We integrated fantastic features based on invaluable feedback from both the team and parents.

“I am especially grateful to the families who shared their neonatal journeys, having personally experienced the amazing support and care they received.

“It fills me with pride to contribute to this initiative, and I look forward to creating more tours to support families in the future.” 

He added: “Jack’s Star Tours provide an unparalleled virtual tour experience, allowing patients and families to explore hospital facilities, departments, and wards from the comfort of their own homes.

“With integrated video, audio, and comprehensive information, you can navigate through the hospital and feel more prepared for your visit.”

NHSGGC Senior Charge Nurse Tracy Clinton said: “We are delighted that our new Neonatal Virtual Tour is available for the families.

“Our unit tour was developed in partnership with parents and the neonatal team in response to feedback from families about the type of information they would find helpful when their baby is receiving neonatal care.

“We listened when parents told us they wanted to be introduced to the unit by other parents, not just the medical team.

“This helps to ensure that the tour is not only informative but also welcoming and supportive as parents are also given advice through stories from other families experiencing neonatal care first hand.

“It was also important to us that the tour was also inclusive by providing other language options which we hope to expand on in the future.

“Our virtual tour has surpassed our expectations, and we are extremely grateful to both Asma, David and all the families and staff who contributed, for using their personal experience to support us in creating this tour.”

To see the 360° virtual tour of the NICU at the RHC, please visit: https://rhc.nhsggc.org.uk/nnu-tour