Maintenance hemodialysis patients participate in a virtual reality rehabilitation training experience: a qualitative study

Abstract

Maintenance hemodialysis patients’ psychology and physiology will have negative effects. Adherence to exercise can effectively enhance the physical function of maintenance hemodialysis patients and reduce the negative psychological emotions. In recent years, virtual reality technology has been gradually applied to the hemodialysis group, providing a new way for the rehabilitation training and healthy life of maintenance hemodialysis patients. Objectives To understand the real experience of maintenance hemodialysis patients participating in virtual reality rehabilitation training, and to make reference for the future clinical development of a more perfect virtual reality rehabilitation training program. Metchods Phenomenological research method was used to conduct semi-structured interviews with 10 maintenance hemodialysis patients, and the interview data were compiled and analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step analysis. Results Four themes were distilled: (1) Maintenance hemodialysis patients’ overall perceptual experience of the virtual reality rehabilitation system; (2) Physical and psychological improvement of maintenance hemodialysis patients with virtual reality rehabilitation system; (3) Individualized needs of maintenance hemodialysis patients during virtual reality rehabilitation training; (4) Future improvements and recommendations for the virtual reality rehabilitation system. Conclusion The results of the study suggest that virtual reality improves patients’ motivation to recover and shows positive results and potential benefits in improving physical functioning and negative emotions in maintenance hemodialysis patients.