Virtual reality as a tool to promote wellbeing in the workplace

Abstract

Background NHS staff are disproportionately impacted by workplace stress, threatening not only quality of service delivery, but the sustainability, of this vital healthcare system. There is an urgent need for accessible and cost-effective interventions that promote the wellbeing of this integral workforce. Aim The aim of this study was to explore the potential propensity of a short virtual reality (VR) nature experience, delivered during the workday, to induce positive mood states NHS clinicians. Method NHS clinicians working in a fast-paced trauma service were offered the opportunity to take part in a short virtual reality (VR) relaxation session, during their working day, in which they were able to explore the “Green Meadows” experience available within the Nature Treks application. An indication of physiological arousal (heart rate) was obtained, and subjective measures of emotional state were employed to assess the effect of the intervention on participants’ mood. Further, feedback was gathered to provide an initial indication of the acceptability of the experience. Results Analysis of data from 39 clinicians revealed that, following the VR experience, participants reported significantly increased feelings of happiness ( p < 0.001) and relaxation ( p < 0.001), and significantly decreased feelings of sadness ( p = 0.003), anger ( p < 0.001) and anxiety ( p < 0.001). No significant differences in reported levels of surprise ( p = 0.603) or vigour ( p = 0.566) were found. Further, the experience was associated with a significant reduction in heart-rate ( p = 0.025), and had high acceptability ratings, despite participants’ varied experience with computers and VR technology. Conclusions The findings of this study indicate that the administration of VR for the promotion of NHS staff wellbeing in the workplace is a potentially fruitful avenue of exploration that warrants further investigation.

Positive cyberpsychology as a field of study of the well-being of people interacting with and via technology

“…Generalization of the obtained results can be based on suggestions taken from the recently introduced Systems Informed Positive Psychology (SIPP; Kern et al, 2020): (1) Boundaries and perspectives -factors affecting the inclusion of individuals into a positive system, e.g., technology acceptance and adoption (Modliński et al, 2023), Anthropocentrism (Fortuna et al, 2021); (2) Self-organization and interconnectedness -shaping favorable relationship patterns as a result of contact with the interface and the tasks performed, e.g., anthropomorphization of artifacts (e.g., Naneva et al, 2020); (3) Dynamics -study on maintaining motivation to interact with artifacts in different environments: e.g. engaging in a behavior that a technology is intended to support (e.g., Fryer and Bovee, 2016); (4) Adaptation and emergence -optimal functioning in the hybrid system and implementation of positive transformation effects: e.g., increasing wellbeing in workplace (e.g., Adhyaru and Kemp, 2022), increasing societal optimal functioning postulated by SIPP (Kern et al, 2020). The use of the above research key facilitates a link between areas integrated within PCyb and should be conducive to a comprehensive explanation of the effectiveness of technologies designed to improve well-being.…”

Effects of virtual reality natural experiences on factory workers’ psychological and physiological stress

“…Virtual reality (VR) is becoming an increasingly popular technology, and a growing body of research has demonstrated the effect of using VR as a tool to enable engagement with natural environments ( Li et al, 2021 ; Adhyaru and Kemp, 2022 ; Spangenberger et al, 2022 ). Several nature videos and applications can also be easily accessed and applied as VR technology ( Adhyaru and Kemp, 2022 ; Calogiuri et al, 2022 ). Implementing a natural environment using VR is a novel approach and likely to produce psycho-physiological benefits by bringing nature into an indoor environment ( Browning et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Implementing a natural environment using VR is a novel approach and likely to produce psycho-physiological benefits by bringing nature into an indoor environment ( Browning et al, 2019 ). A previous evidence-based study revealed that using VR natural experiences had positive impacts on psychological stress in terms of mood, anxiety, perceived stress, and physiological stress such as the heart rate (HR) ( Adhyaru and Kemp, 2022 ). However, few investigations have been conducted into the impacts of VR natural experiences on biofeedback and physiological stress.…”

Metaverse in the Virtual Workplace

“…Another problem is that the source of information is often internet blogs, newspapers and interviews rather than academic and peer-reviewed literature (Adhyaru & Kemp, 2022; Kačerová et al, 2022; Kalischko & Riedl, 2021). Moreover, metaverse in the workplace is emerging but is not well established as a proper research category yet.…”