Tufts Medical Center is hoping to make the patient experience less scary by giving patients the opportunity to become familiar virtually with the space, people, or instruments that might be involved in a procedue.

The hospital is partnering with Primacy, a digital agency, to bring virtual reality into the care of its patients, according to a report by Boston Magazine. Through the new technology, patients could see a 360-degree view of the facility before a procedure, any equipment that might be involved, and be introduced to the medical personnel.

Carey Kimmelstiel, director of the Interventional Cardiology Center at Tufts, told Boston that rather than just being given photos to study, the patient could go home and fully explore their upcoming procedure and come up with questions they might not otherwise think of.


“There’s nothing that will ever substitute for the face-to-face, clinician-patient interaction,’’ Kimmelstiel said. “But, as they say, an educated consumer is the best consumer. We want any removal of trepidation that can ease patient concerns and [facilitate] a more seamless interaction.’’

Read the full Boston report here.