Virtual Reality in Palliative Care

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Artificial Intelligence in Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 October 2024) | Viewed by 2153

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Research Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London, London, UK
Interests: clinical trials; end-of-life; palliative care; prognostication (survival prediction); dementia

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Guest Editor
Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, University College London, London, UK
Interests: palliative care; prognostication (survival prediction); dementia; equity of access; technology use in palliative care; and clinical decision making

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last two decades, virtual reality has become more portable and accessible in terms of cost and availability. There is growing interest in how this technology could support and improve the lives of people who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness. People living with terminal illnesses often experience complex and multiple physical and mental symptoms. In the later stages of the disease, they may have things or activities that they still wish to do (a so-called “bucket list”), but which they are no longer physically capable of. In these situations, virtual reality could offer an opportunity to experience activities that would otherwise be beyond their abilities. It could have potential benefits for their overall wellbeing, be that physical, emotional, social or spiritual.

The scope of this Special Issue is to publish research exploring the use of virtual reality for people who are living with terminal illness. This might be research looking at the clinical effectiveness of virtual reality interventions in reducing physical and psychological symptoms, or it might be a study describing and evaluating the implementation of virtual reality in this population. We welcome original research articles reporting results from observational and experimental studies, as well as health economic papers, reviews and meta-analyses.

Dr. Victoria Vickerstaff
Dr. Nicola White
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • virtual reality
  • head-mounted display
  • immersive technology
  • palliative care
  • hospice
  • terminal illness
  • symptoms
  • health economics
  • pain control
  • usability

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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22 pages, 837 KiB  
Systematic Review
A Systematic Review of Virtual Reality’s Impact on Anxiety During Palliative Care
by Alexandra-Maria Gaina, Cristinel Stefanescu, Andreea-Silvana Szalontay, Marcel-Alexandru Gaina, Vladimir Poroch, Daniela Viorica Mosoiu, Bogdan-Victor Stefanescu, Magdalena Axinte, Cristina-Maria Tofan and Liviu Adrian Magurianu
Healthcare 2024, 12(24), 2517; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12242517 - 12 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1423
Abstract
Background: Virtual Reality (VR) is an emerging non-pharmacological treatment for anxiety in palliative care patients. Anxiety, a common symptom in this population, has a significant effect on living standards. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the effectiveness of VR interventions [...] Read more.
Background: Virtual Reality (VR) is an emerging non-pharmacological treatment for anxiety in palliative care patients. Anxiety, a common symptom in this population, has a significant effect on living standards. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the effectiveness of VR interventions in reducing anxiety and improving quality of life in palliative care. Methods: The systematic review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024517914). The comprehensive search was performed in nine databases, including PubMed, PsycINFO, and EMBASE, and included studies published up to 15 November 2024. RCTs, pilot studies, and feasibility trials involving adult palliative care patients in which VR interventions were used, were compared with standard care. Two reviewers independently extracted and assessed the quality of the data using the RoB 2 tool. Results: A total of 13 studies were considered eligible, with 333 participants aged 15 to 85 years old. In these experiments, anxiety decreased steadily, and in some cases mood and quality of life were improved significantly. The VR interventions ranged from guided nature walks to memory-training sessions. Sessions lasted between 5 and 30 min and ranged in duration from single sessions to daily use. Personalized and participatory VR-based content was particularly effective in alleviating anxiety. The heterogeneity of the study designs and VR protocols hampered meta-analysis, despite promising findings. Conclusions: VR has considerable potential as an adjunctive anxiety therapy for palliative care. The personalization and immersion that VR provides are psychologically unique and have the potential to lower anxiety and improve well-being. But standardizing intervention protocols and more studies are required to define the best VR strategies and evaluate outcomes over the long term. The article highlights the promise of VR as part of palliative care as a viable bio-psycho-socio-spiritual approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Virtual Reality in Palliative Care)
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