Virtual Reality in Palliative Care Inpatients

Pilot study for the feasibility and acceptability of Virtual Reality Head Mounted Devices in Inpatients Receiving Palliative Care

Status

Completed

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12623000805673

Enrollment

Registered

2023-07-26

Start date

2023-08-02

Completion date

2024-01-18

Last updated

2024-07-22

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

This study aims to assess the feasibility of making virtual reality (VR) experiences available to palliative care inpatients in a large tertiary hospital. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are a hospital inpatient admitted directly by the palliative care team, and have a life expectancy of less than 12 months. Study details Patients will be offered a one-off VR experience with a head mounted device (HMD), where they are immersed in different VR environments of their choice. Choices include indoor or outdoor scenes and urban or natural environments. There will be a brief interview afterwards to discuss what they thought about the experience. It is hoped that patients will find this experience enjoyable and that the findings from this study will help elicit the preferences of this patient population with regards to the types of VR experiences they would be interested in, to guide the provision of future VR product offerings.

Interventions

Use of virtual reality (VR) head mounted devices (HMDs) to place the patient in VR environments (photo or video) of their choice (indoor/outdoor, city/nature). Palliative care inpatients will be recruited via an information flyer that has pictures of some of the VR environments available in the study. VR experiences will be individual and provided face-to-face by palliative care nurses or doctors in the hospital. It will be a one-off VR experience lasting approximately 30-60 minutes (including set-up and familiarisation with controllers) while the patient is in hospital. Palliative care staff will be present with the patient throughout the VR experience to provide assistance if needed and to monitor acceptability and adherence.

Study design

Allocation

Non-randomised trial

Intervention model

Single group

Primary purpose

Treatment

Masking

Open (masking not used)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Inpatients in hospital, admitted directly by the palliative care team, or being seen regularly by the palliative care consult team. Able to read and understand English at a sufficient level to provide consent and follow directions for use of the VR headset. Life-expectancy of less than 12 months.

Exclusion criteria

Patients diagnosed with dementia Patients experiencing delirium Patients who are legally blind Patients experiencing vertigo or motion sickness

Outcome results