None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Patient education is a critical component of healthcare delivery. However, medical information and knowledge is complex and can be difficult for patients and families to comprehend when delivered verbally, via pamphlets and/or video. This study aims to assess whether using virtual reality (VR) as an education tool for people with cancer is effective and well received. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are aged 18 years or older, you have been diagnosed with a cancer of any stage (e.g., melanoma, kidney cancer, mesothelioma, lung cancer) that will be treated with immunotherapy and you are due to start only immunotherapy agents (i.e., patients may not receive any other treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy). Study details Participants who choose to enrol in this study will be randomly allocated by chance (similar to flipping a coin) to one of three groups. Participants who are allocated to the first group will have a standard of care verbal education session with an education nurse, followed by a 5-7 minute 3D 360° virtual reality (VR) education experience during their first immunotherapy treatment session. Participants who are allocated to the second group will have a standard of care verbal education session with an education nurse, followed by a 5-7 minute 2D video education presentation during their first immunotherapy treatment session. Participants who are allocated to the third group will only receive a standard of care verbal education session with an education nurse during their first immunotherapy treatment session, and will receive educational pamphlets about immunotherapy treatment as well. Prior to their first treatment session, straight after the first treatment session and at two weeks after their first immunotherapy treatment session, all participants will be asked to complete a series of questionnaires regarding their understanding of the educational information provided to them. Participants will also be asked to complete a one-on-one 20 minute interview with a member of the research team to discuss how they found their education session and delivery method. It is hoped this research will determine whether it is feasible to provide patient education via VR and how this delivery impacts participants' understanding of their immunotherapy treatments. If this initial study is positive, the use of VR education may be expanded to a greater number of cancer patients undergoing immunotherapy treatment in the future.
Interventions
Patients undergoing immunotherapy will be recruited and randomised to one of three groups.
Participants randomised to Arm A will receive the 60 minute standard of care (SoC) education session plus a single one-off immersive, 3D 360° virtual reality (VR) experience.
The SoC education is delivered either on the first day of the patient’s immunotherapy treatment session or a previous day. The patients randomised to Arm A will receive the VR experience after the SoC education has been provided. T
Patients undergoing immunotherapy will be recruited and randomised to one of three groups. Participants randomised to Arm A will receive the 60 minute standard of care (SoC) education session plus a single one-off immersive, 3D 360° virtual reality (VR) experience. The SoC education is delivered either on the first day of the patient’s immunotherapy treatment session or a previous day. The patients randomised to Arm A will receive the VR experience after the SoC education has been provided. The VR experience will be delivered whilst the patient is receiving their first immunotherapy treatment. The VR intervention will be delivered by an experienced, trained trial coordinator (i.e; trial nurse) with the use of a gaming laptop (i.e., Gigabyte AORUS 17G XC 17.3-inch Core i7 RTX 3070) and Oculus Quest 2 headset. Participants will be able to move around the immersive environment by using hand controllers and hand tracking, or with the help of the trial coordinator. The VR world will explain and show patients how the immune system reacts to the immunotherapy treatment, what side-effects may occur, and what patients should do in case they experience any of these side-effects related to the immunotherapy treatment. The video will last approximately 5-7 minutes. Participants will be seated throughout the session. The total time required to explain and set up the intervention, answer any questions, and administer the intervention is anticipated to be no longer than the immunotherapy treatment session, which usually takes about 30 to 90 minutes. The trial nurse will be present during the VR experience to assure adherence. Participants randomised to Arm B will receive the 60 minute SoC education and in addition will be shown a single, one-off 2D video on immunotherapy. The video will be a 2D replica of the immersive, 3D 360° VR experience patients receive when randomized to the VR intervention (Arm A) and will last 5-7 minutes. The patients randomised to Arm B will view the 2D video after the SoC education session has been provided. Participants will view the 2D video whilst receiving their first immunotherapy treatment. Patients will watch the video on a laptop.
Sponsors
Central West Cancer Care Centre, Orange Health Service
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Educational / counselling / training
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Patients will be eligible to participate if they meet the following criteria: a) are 18 years and over, b) are diagnosed with a reportable cancer of any stage (e.g., melanoma, kidney cancer, mesothelioma, lung cancer) that will be treated with immunotherapy alone, c) are due to start only immunotherapy agents (i.e., patients may not receive any other treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy), d) are able to understand English, and e) are able to give their own consent.
Exclusion criteria
Patients will be excluded if they: a) have a condition that interferes with VR usage, including but not limited to seizures, facial injury precluding safe placement of headset, and visual impairments; b) have a prognosis of <3 months from the time of enrolment per treating oncologist or; c) receiving other systemic cancer therapies in combination with immunotherapy d) have a pre-existing severe mental health diagnosis or significant cognitive impairment, such as severe dementia that would impair their comprehension and/or ability to provide informed consent
Outcome results
None listed