Virtual reality experience in haemato-oncology patients—technical evaluation (ViREB-TE)

Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly being used in health care. However, its use as part of therapy during prolonged inpatient treatments is less well established. This study assessed the experience of hemato-oncology inpatients, their caregivers or relatives and staff of a 20-min VR expedition to assess acceptability, safety, and opportunities to improve inpatient experience.

Through several familiarisation days, participants took part in a supervised 20-min trial of a 3-dimensional (3-D) VR escape using Google Wander™ delivered via an Oculus Quest 2 VR Headset™. Participants completed a validated survey of their VR experiences.

Thirty-one patients, 10 staff members and 9 relatives or patient friends visited 55 unique countries, with 19 participants (38%) wishing to visit home, family, or friends. All participants enjoyed the experience, felt energised or had a sense of well-being following the immersion. One participant felt fatigued by the experience. No one found the experience disagreeable nor had difficulty in navigating within the device. No participant complained of nausea, with two patients experiencing dizziness and one developing a headache. Nine participants (18%) complained of eyestrain, while 12 participants (24%) complained of a sense of “head fullness”. None of the symptoms were perceived to need to shorten the immersion experience nor lasted beyond the immersion.

3D-VR “holiday from hospital” can be used safely in acute inpatients with little supervised training. The broad acceptance of the technology, potentially providing a distraction from clinical care routines.