P-35 Can virtual reality (vr) guided meditation reduce pain? a feasibility and acceptability study

Abstract

BackgroundResearch shows that VR is effective as a tool in managing acute pain (Hoffman & Patterson, 2000; Hoffman & Garcia-Palacios, 2001; Hoffman & Chambers, 2011). There is also evidence that meditation is beneficial in reducing persistent pain, that the effect is cumulative and builds overtime (Morone et al., 2008). We have developed a VR Guided Meditation app narrated by Sir David Attenborough and are planning a mixed method randomised controlled trial to examine whether an immersive meditation experience enables palliative patients to enter a meditative state more easily and achieve long term pain reduction.AimTo test the feasibility and acceptability of using VR Guided Meditation in a hospice setting.Specific Objectives• Compare two types of hardware.• Establish whether the headsets are comfortable.• Find out if the technique has an impact on pain.• Ascertain feedback.Method• Hospice patients were offered the opportunity to participate.• The VR Gear which connects to a mobile phone was compared with an Oculus Rift which connects to a computer. Each was used for 10 min.• Feedback via a structured questionnaire.Results• Participants: six female, 12 male. Age range 33 to 84 years. Sixteen with cancer, two with neurological conditions.• Preference for Oculus Rift was unanimous.• All enjoyed the experience and wished to repeat it.• All described the headsets as comfortable.• None experienced side effects.• All experienced a reduction in pain, ranging from 20% to complete reduction.• Comments: ‘first time in months I forgot I had pain’; ‘ could have stayed there forever’; ‘wonderful’; ‘so distracted I forgot my pain’; ’in another world and didn’t feel a bit of pain.’ConclusionVR Guided Meditation is effective in distracting patients from their pain and it is acceptable and feasible to use in a hospice setting. Research is needed to establish whether its use enables patients to enter a meditative state more effectively leading to longer term benefits.

Virtual reality in specialist palliative care: a feasibility study to enable clinical practice adoption

“…A completely immersive experience was not possible from the device; meaning that participants may have a better experience with other systems. 10 Some participants struggled to independently operate aspects of the VR device and required assistance, demonstrating that technology should be optimised for user requirements. Remote operation and second screen viewing were not possible from this VR device, which meant that the operator needed to stay with the participant for the entirety of the session.…”

Virtual reality–guided mindfulness for chronic pain in cancer survivors: protocol for the virtual mind study—a single-group feasibility trial

“…A 2015 RCT of 13 participants ( 33 ) found VRGM to be superior to a mindfulness audio track alone in reducing chronic noncancer pain symptoms. Similarly, in a 2017 single-group study ( 38 ) evaluating the benefits of VRGM for 18 participants with chronic pain (16 patients with cancer and 2 patients with neurological conditions), all participants reported a reduction in pain intensity, ranging from a 20% to a 100% reduction.…”