Rosalba Hernandez1, Brett Burrows2, Matthew H E M Browning3, Killivalavan Solai4, Drew Fast4, Natalia O Litbarg5, Kenneth R Wilund2, Judith T Moskowitz6. 1. School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois. 2. College of Applied Health Sciences, Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois. 3. Virtual Reality and Nature Lab, Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina. 4. Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois. 5. Division of Nephrology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. 6. Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.
Abstract
Background: Virtual reality (VR) is an evolving technology that is becoming a common treatment for pain management and psychologic phobias. Although nonimmersive devices (e.g., the Nintendo Wii) have been previously tested with patients on hemodialysis, no studies to date have used fully immersive VR as a tool for intervention delivery. This pilot trial tests the initial safety, acceptability, and utility of VR during maintenance hemodialysis treatment sessions-particularly, whether VR triggers motion sickness that mimics or negatively effects treatment-related symptoms (e.g., nausea). Methods: Patients on hemodialysis (n=20) were enrolled in a phase 1 single-arm proof-of-concept trial. While undergoing hemodialysis, participants were exposed to our new Joviality VR program. This 25-minute program delivers mindfulness training and guided meditation using the Oculus Rift head-mounted display. Participants experienced the program on two separate occasions. Before and immediately after exposure, participants recorded motion-related symptoms and related discomfort on the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire. Utility measures included the end-user's ability to be fully immersed in the virtual space, interact with virtual objects, find hardware user friendly, and easily navigate the Joviality program with the System Usability Scale. Results: Mean age was 55.3 (±13.1) years; 80% male; 60% Black; and mean dialysis vintage was 3.56 (±3.75) years. At the first session, there were significant decreases in treatment and/or motion-related symptoms after VR exposure (22.6 versus 11.2; P=0.03); scores >20 indicate problematic immersion. Hemodialysis end-users reported high levels of immersion in the VR environment and rated the software easy to operate, with average System Usability Scale scores of 82.8 out of 100. Conclusions: Patients on hemodialysis routinely suffer from fatigue, nausea, lightheadedness, and headaches that often manifest during their dialysis sessions. Our Joviality VR program decreased symptom severity without adverse effects. VR programs may be a safe platform to improve the experience of patients on dialysis.
Background: Virtual reality (VR) is an evolving technology that is becoming a common treatment for pain management and psychologic phobias. Although nonimmersive devices (e.g., the Nintendo Wii) have been previously tested with patients on hemodialysis, no studies to date have used fully immersive VR as a tool for intervention delivery. This pilot trial tests the initial safety, acceptability, and utility of VR during maintenance hemodialysis treatment sessions-particularly, whether VR triggers motion sickness that mimics or negatively effects treatment-related symptoms (e.g., nausea). Methods: Patients on hemodialysis (n=20) were enrolled in a phase 1 single-arm proof-of-concept trial. While undergoing hemodialysis, participants were exposed to our new Joviality VR program. This 25-minute program delivers mindfulness training and guided meditation using the Oculus Rift head-mounted display. Participants experienced the program on two separate occasions. Before and immediately after exposure, participants recorded motion-related symptoms and related discomfort on the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire. Utility measures included the end-user's ability to be fully immersed in the virtual space, interact with virtual objects, find hardware user friendly, and easily navigate the Joviality program with the System Usability Scale. Results: Mean age was 55.3 (±13.1) years; 80% male; 60% Black; and mean dialysis vintage was 3.56 (±3.75) years. At the first session, there were significant decreases in treatment and/or motion-related symptoms after VR exposure (22.6 versus 11.2; P=0.03); scores >20 indicate problematic immersion. Hemodialysis end-users reported high levels of immersion in the VR environment and rated the software easy to operate, with average System Usability Scale scores of 82.8 out of 100. Conclusions: Patients on hemodialysis routinely suffer from fatigue, nausea, lightheadedness, and headaches that often manifest during their dialysis sessions. Our Joviality VR program decreased symptom severity without adverse effects. VR programs may be a safe platform to improve the experience of patients on dialysis.
Authors: Paola Indovina; Daniela Barone; Luigi Gallo; Andrea Chirico; Giuseppe De Pietro; Antonio Giordano Journal: Clin J Pain Date: 2018-09 Impact factor: 3.442
Authors: Philip Lindner; Alexander Miloff; Elin Zetterlund; Lena Reuterskiöld; Gerhard Andersson; Per Carlbring Journal: Front Psychol Date: 2019-02-08