White Paper: Virtual Reality in the Clinic

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Debra McKenzie
5 years ago
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2 White Paper: Virtual Reality in the Clinic

3 Contents Introducing DrVR - Virtual Reality for Healthcare... 4 Research... 4 Proven Benefits for Patients Better Technology, Falling Cost and Increasing Uptake Bespoke Design... 4 Pain relief and lowered anxiety Not Just Distraction... 5 Better than Games Effective Alternative to Sedation... 5 Benefits for Health Professionals A Better Experience for patients AND staff Cost Reduction Reduced risk of Addiction Patient Monitoring and Data Collection Future Applications in Hospitals Practise, Training and Education Mental Health Interventions Body Sensing Outside Hospital Care homes Special Schools Aftercare... 8 Rita Carter Footnotes

In the 18 years I ve been practicing medicine I can honestly say I ve never seen anything so effective - Brenna Spiegel MD, Cedars-Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles Introducing DrVR - Virtual Reality for

4 In the 18 years I ve been practicing medicine I can honestly say I ve never seen anything so effective - Brenna Spiegel MD, Cedars-Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles Introducing DrVR - Virtual Reality for Healthcare VR is best known for the fun and excitement users get from immersion in threedimensional worlds they could never visit in real life. Less well-recognized is the powerful therapeutic effect of VR in many areas of medicine and healthcare. Research VR has been used as a medical tool since 1994 when the then crude and expensive technology helped children with movement disorders to master a wheelchair 1. Since then nearly 8,000 studies published in peer-reviewed medical journals have demonstrated VR s potential for benefiting patients and treatment-providers 2. Proven Benefits for Patients Pain reduction 3 Lowered anxiety 4 Depression relief 5 Faster post-stroke rehabilitation 6 Subjectively speedier treatment 7 VR inhibits pain processing in CNS Better Technology, Falling Cost and Increasing Uptake In the last 3-5 years VR has leapt forward in quality. imagery is realistic and movement smooth and Its cost has fallen dramatically. Clinical trials have clarified the special requirements of therapeutic VR (as opposed to consumer products) and it has been adopted in hundreds of hospitals throughout the world and a large survey of Facebook users found a significant majority think it would be beneficial in a wide variety of healthcare settings 8. Bespoke Design DrVR has been designed specifically for patient use in UK Hospitals. Annual cost is less than 5,000 and does not therefore have to be subject to the NHS purchasing procedure. 4

VR improved patients emotional well-being, and diminished cancer-related psychological symptoms 9 Pain relief and lowered anxiety VR reduces both chronic and acute pain.

Not Just Distraction Brain imaging studies show that VR immersion alters function in several areas that are not wholly associated with attention (right).

They reported 24% less pain and anxiety during the procedures than controls.

5 VR improved patients emotional well-being, and diminished cancer-related psychological symptoms 9 Pain relief and lowered anxiety VR reduces both chronic and acute pain. Self-assessed pain rating in a group of 30 patients suffering continuous pain dropped by an average 60% during a VR experience and 33% post-session 10. Not Just Distraction Brain imaging studies show that VR immersion alters function in several areas that are not wholly associated with attention (right). It blocks pain signals before they reach the brain. Effective Alternative to Sedation 140 patients used VR while undergoing minor surgery (right). They reported 24% less pain and anxiety during the procedures than controls. The VR group required on average only half the amount of sedation, and in many cases it wasn t required at all 10. Better than Games A double case study of patients with severe burns found pain reduction through VR during dressing changes to be more than twice that achieved when the patients distracted themselves playing Nintendo (left). The effect remained the same through repeated procedures. 5

6 VR during chemotherapy treatment is generally enjoyable and well received by patients VR distraction may considerably improve the ability of this group to tolerate and adhere to chemotherapy 7 Benefits for Health Professionals VR offers many practical and cost benefits for health professionals and the hospitals in which they work. Rescape s first product, DrVR, is specifically designed for use in Hospital Outpatient Clinics where quite lengthy and sometimes uncomfortable treatments are given while the patient is fully conscious. Examples include chemotherapy and dialysis units. A Better Experience for patients AND staff The proven experiential benefits of VR to patients reduced pain and anxiety, interest, amazement and immersion make treatment sessions more agreeable for the health care professionals providing them, as well as those undergoing them. Being able to offer their patients an enjoyable experience is itself uplifting. Patients are less likely to need attention during the treatment session, and the atmosphere in the clinic is likely to be lighter, creating a less emotionally draining workplace for those who are there day in, day out. Cost Reduction VR reduces the need for sedatives and painkilling drugs 3,4,10,11. The saving on drug costs alone has been estimated to reduce the cost of minor surgery in some clinics by 25%. VR shortens recovery times and reduces the time that outpatients need to stay in hospital after treatment. These savings are likely to outweigh the cost of purchasing VR, especially an out-of-the box solution such as DrVR 10. Reduced risk of Addiction It lowers the likelihood of addiction to prescribed drugs (now thought to be more prevalent than heroin addiction 12 ) saving costs on further treatment and possibly lives. Patient Monitoring and Data Collection DrVR incorporates a data gathering facility which allows monitoring of patients experience of VR, and to some extent their mental wellbeing. This helps health care professionals spot changing patterns in their patients moods and responses. 6

Future Applications in Hospitals VR has a huge rage of therapeutic applications.

to a particular healthcare need. Potential areas include: Practise, Training and Education Medical imagery can be converted to VR to give doctors and patients a 3-d inside view of disease processes.

Medical students can have an inside view of disease processes.

7 Future Applications in Hospitals VR has a huge rage of therapeutic applications. DrVR has been developed specifically for use in Outpatients Clinics but Rescape aims to maintain a continuous programme of innovation aimed at developing a suite of products, each a bespoke solution to a particular healthcare need. Potential areas include: Practise, Training and Education Medical imagery can be converted to VR to give doctors and patients a 3-d inside view of disease processes. This can help physicians make more accurate diagnoses and treatment plans. Surgeons can practice operating in totally realistic settings (including tactile effects) with no risk to patients. Medical students can have an inside view of disease processes. Patients can observe their internal medical conditions and their doctors can demonstrate what treatment they have in mind, allowing patients to give truly informed consent. They can experience a medical procedure in VR prior to the real thing, removing the fear of the unknown, and practise motor control and physiotherapy exercises. Mental Health Interventions VR is probably the best tool for providing phobia desensitisation treatment. It has been shown to be effective in social interaction therapy for autistic children. Alzheimer s patients have shown memory improvements after viewing personalised VR. It is effective in depression relief and anxiety disorders. Interactive VR can even provide a sophisticated form of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, helping patients to think positively. VR has potential to be used as advanced neurofeedback for attention deficit disorder, anxiety and other conditions. Neurofeedback involves linking a video output to a feed from scalpmounted brainwave sensors which detect diminishing attention and degrade or stop the video until the person concentrates again. The therapy helps people to develop the habit of concentrating. Body Sensing VR combined with body sensors (eg heart rate variability, galvanic skin response, EEG, etc allow monitoring of body systems in defined situations, For example, some people suffer seizures in response to certain visual stimuli. By watching the patient s brain activity in response to various VR scenes, the precise trigger can be identfied. 7

One application of this is to allow children with anxiety disorders or learning difficulties to negotiate situations safely in advance of doing it for real.

8 Outside Hospital Care homes Old people are slow to try DV, but when they are more amazed and delighted than children (ref). Special Schools VR can give a person an experience free of any fears or confusion the real thing might produce. One application of this is to allow children with anxiety disorders or learning difficulties to negotiate situations safely in advance of doing it for real. VR is also proving effective at improving social interaction in children with autism (ref). Aftercare Learning to use a prosthetic limb or a wheelchair can be exhausting. VR makes it possible to practise without physical effort, so motor sequences are instilled in the brain between real practice sessions. Rita Carter Rita Carter is an expert on psychology and the workings of the human brain. She is the author of several books about brain function which are core texts for University courses throughout the world. They include Mapping the Mind which has been published in 18 languages, Exploring Consciousness and The Brain Book. Rita has received multiple awards for her work, including the BMA Prize for best illustrated book, the Medical Journalists Association prize for Outstanding Contribution to Medical journalism and an Honorary PhD from Leuven University. Before becoming a full-time author she was a reporter/presenter for London Broadcasting Thames TV and the BBC. 8

9 Footnotes: 1. In Virtual Reality Tools for the Disabled New York Times April Pubmed : 3. The Impact of Virtual Reality on Chronic Pain, Jones et al PLOS One 2016 Dec.20;11 (12) 4. Virtual reality on mobile phones to reduce anxiety in outpatient surgery Mosso et al Stud Health Technol Inform. 2009;142: Internet and mobile interventions for depression: Opportunities and challenges. Cuijpers et al. Depression and Anxiety Jul;34(7): Leap Motion-based virtual reality training for improving motor functional recovery of upper limbs and neural reorganization in subacute stroke patients. Wang et al Neural Regen Res Nov;12(11): Effect of virtual reality on time perception in patients receiving chemotherapy Susan M. Schneider Support Care Cancer Apr;19(4): Public Perceptions Regarding Use of Virtual Reality in Health Care: A Social Media Content Analysis Using Facebook. Keller et al J Med Internet Res Dec 19;19(12): 9. Virtual Reality: A Distraction Intervention for Chemotherapy Susan M. Schneider, Duke University Oncol Nurs Forum Jan; 34(1): Reality in Health System: Beyond Entertainment. A Mini-Review on the Efficacy of VR During Cancer Treatment. Chirico et al Cell Physiol Feb;231(2):

Virtual Reality: Rehabilitation In Motor, Cognitive And Sensorial Disorders READ ONLINE

Virtual Reality: Rehabilitation In Motor, Cognitive And Sensorial Disorders READ ONLINE If you are looking for the ebook Virtual Reality: Rehabilitation in Motor, Cognitive and Sensorial Disorders in pdf