Aurora, CO, Dec. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UCHealth recently launched the health care system’s first augmented reality (AR) experience for patients and visitors. AR creates an immersive user experience that blends the digital and physical worlds.
Those with the UCHealth app can access the AR experience and choose a dog to “play” with while waiting for an appointment or at home and simply in need of a smile. Users can feed the dog treats, throw a ball or ask the dog to follow simple commands. Since going live, nearly 9,000 people have clicked into the new feature.
“We are excited to be among the first health care providers to create an AR experience for our patients,” said Nicole Caputo, UCHealth’s senior director of experience and innovation. “The first experience was simply intended to put a smile on peoples’ faces, as interacting with animals has been shown to lower blood pressure and decrease stress.”
As the program grows, UCHealth hopes to create more experiences that will not only aim to improve mood while decreasing stress and anxiety, but also help users learn about medical conditions and ‘interact’ with UCHealth patients who have been through similar health care experiences.
UCHealth partnered with August Allen, a Denver-based marketing agency, to lead the creative strategy for the AR experiences.
“We are thrilled to partner with UCHealth to create augmented reality experiences centered on health and wellness and look forward to developing future experiences for patients,” said Justin Hayes, August Allen’s creative director.
UCHealth will be introducing more experiences in the coming months.
The UCHealth app can be downloaded for free using your cell phone or tablet.
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