Dean of Postgraduate Research
Vice-Chancellor’s Office
Extension: 7285
Email:
lucy.johnston@canterbury.ac.nz
Summer Research Scholarship Scheme
2015-2016
Project Application Form
Please complete and submit the application form as a WORD document and send to
summerscholarships@canterbury.ac.nz
The Project
Title of Project (max 30 words):
Virtual Reality Simulation of MRI Scan Procedure for Patient Anxiety Management
Project Leader(s):
Adrian Clark
Host Department/Organization:
Human Interface Technology Laboratory New Zealand (HIT Lab NZ)
Other persons involved in this topic/activity:
(List other significant members involved along with their affiliation to the research project.)
Name
Affiliation to project
Peter Dooley
CDHB MRI Specialist
Richard Floyd
CDHB Radiology BI Manager
Brief outline of project
Describe the proposed research project – maximum of 400 words (box will expand as you type).
Note that this information will be published on the web in order to attract student applicants and therefore be
mindful of any Intellectual Property issues
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a painless and harmless way to look inside the body without using XRays. Unfortunately MRI scanners are very confining and during operation the noise produced from the
scanner can be up to 120dB. Consequently, MRI is associated with high levels of anxiety in many patients,
and it is not uncommon for patients to abandon their scan partway through. Because of the time required for
preparation, abandonment of a scan means the scanner is unusable for the remainder of that appointment,
resulting in a significant loss of time and money.
In order to avoid scan abandonment, patients determined to be likely to suffer from claustrophobia or anxiety
are often medically sedated, with the highest risk patients placed under general anaesthetic (GA). However
there are significant costs associated with sedation, including the consumable resources and the time
1
required by anaesthesiologists, and there are also risks associated with sedation (and especially GA) which
makes it undesirable to administer unless absolutely necessary.
The aim of this project is to develop a Virtual Reality simulation of the MRI environment for two purposes: To
allow medical professionals to better estimate whether a patient is likely to need sedation for a procedure,
and to provide a tool which could be used as an immersive exposure therapy tool to help acclimatise patients
to the procedure so they do not require as much/any sedation.
If the project involves work away from the University campus (e.g., at fieldwork sites) please detail all locations.
The successful applicant may be required to visit the Christchurch Hospital on occasion to meet with relevant
MRI technical personnel and visit the MRI facilities.
If the student be required to work outside of normal university hours (8am-5pm) please provide details
Benefits student will gain from involvement in the project
Describe the research experience and skills that the student will acquire through involvement in this research project –
maximum of 100 words.
During this project the student will learn about Virtual Reality and software development, with a focus on
developing tools for use in the medical field. The student will gain insight into medical procedures and
processes, and work with medical professionals to improve the experience of patients. There is potential that
the work may be later used in clinical studies with the student’s assistance.
Specific student requirements
Please provide details of all requirements you have for the student to work on this project – for example, if specific
courses/experience are necessary.
Students should have a background in computer science or software engineering, and be an experienced
and confident programmer.
Students should be confident in C/C++ or C# programming languages.
Students should have some experience in 3D modelling and with some 3D modelling tools.
Familiarity with Virtual Reality is an advantage.
Familiarity with software development tools such as Unity or Unreal would be an advantage.
2