Multiple sclerosis image-guided subcutaneous injections using augmented reality guided imagery

In this paper, we explore how new technologies can be used to improve Multiple Sclerosis (MS) treatments. Treatment of MS most often includes self-injecting medicine into the subcutis, the tissue layer between the skin and the muscle. The injections can make a patient's skin sore, red, itchy, and even cause pain, thus many patients suffer from injection anxiety. The aim of our work is to determine whether an application based on augmented reality (AR) technology can help reduce patients' injection anxiety and perceived pain during the administration of their medication. An AR application, MSease, that allows MS patients to visualise injection sites with the help of an overlaid AR grid which also serves to keep track of their previous injections, was developed. An MS patient and people without MS were consulted in order to assess the quality of the application. The results of this research indicate a marked reduction in injection anxiety and a minor reduction in perceived pain when using our application.