P-164 Using virtual reality in patients with palliative care needs

Wright, Cecily; Babber, Adarsh; Price, Sophie

doi:10.1136/bmjspcare-2019-huknc.186

Cited by 1 publication

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“…Other studies also reported converging feedback from participants on the sense of being away OPEN ACCESS EDITED BY Domna Banakou, New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from their current situation, which may relieve physical and psychological symptoms (Weingarten et al, 2019;Brungardt et al, 2021;Lloyd and Haraldsdottir, 2021). Another pilot study by Wright et al (2019) similarly demonstrated VR to be a beneficial and effective means of providing immersion and distraction therapy, which enhances patients' emotional coping when they struggle with their incurable diseases.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

A perspective on potential psychological risks and solutions of using virtual reality in palliative care

Woo,

Lee

2023

Front. Virtual Real.

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Initial evidence suggests that virtual reality (VR) can effectively reduce palliative symptoms. While such findings shed a positive light on the ability of VR exposure to improve patients’ physical and emotional symptoms, VR could have downsides with adverse effects. As most of the reported adverse effects are related to physical risks or technical challenges, there is a scarcity of reports on possible psychological risks posed by VR exposure in palliative care settings, an area with considerable concerns. This is an area that is likely to have a significant impact on the future of clinical practice and research on the use of VR in palliative care. Based on the clinical experience of a registered clinical psychologist who has delivered VR in a palliative care unit for 3 years, we put forward a perspective on the potential psychological complications of using VR in palliative care. Our clinical experiences show that exposure to a desirable virtual environment that is beneficial to patients might not always align with realistic expectations, and that should the use of VR be considered, special precautions are needed to minimize possible psychological harms. This perspective article further proposes three approaches aiming to minimize possible psychological hazards: incorporation of psychological assessment prior to VR administration, psychological interventions right after VR, and professional training of the VR facilitators. We hope that our personally witnessed concerns and perspectives can alert future VR facilitators to the potential psychological hazards of using VR for patients receiving palliative care and inspire future research to minimize psychological harms.

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