Abstract
The study explored the potential benefits of virtual reality as a psychological intervention to induce positive emotions and reduce pain levels in participants receiving IV chemotherapy treatment. Participants in the study had the opportunity to select a nature theme of their choosing during their treatment session. The study provided a noninvasive solution that promoted relaxation to reduce anxiety by shifting an individual’s mood positively during treatment. The objective was met by measuring participants' mood and pain levels before and after the virtual reality experience and participant satisfaction with the use of the technology. The study was conducted in the chemotherapy treatment area at the INTEGRIS Cancer Institute and consisted of a mixed demographic of cancer diagnosed patients. Results of this study showed that participants felt more calm, relaxed, and content, as well as less tense after the use of VR. Participants showed high ratings of feeling immersed and distracted by feeling like they were visiting the places displayed and paid more attention to the said environment than their own thoughts. There was no significant difference in blood pressure, pain levels, feeling upset, or worried. A majority of participants preferred to have VR as part of their future experiences during treatment time.
Highlights
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of nature scenes in a 3D virtual reality environment on patients receiving chemotherapy treatment
Results of this study show that although there was not a statistically significant decrease in blood pressure, we do know that 12 participants in the study had lower systolic blood pressure levels, and six participants had a lower diastolic blood pressure after their virtual reality session
The demographic consisted of Caucasian (86%), African American (9%), and Asian (5%) participants
Summary
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of nature scenes in a 3D virtual reality environment on patients receiving chemotherapy treatment. Involuntary attention utilizes “soft fascination” via bottom-up processing and is less cognitively demanding (Berman et al, 2008; Gamble et al, 2013; Berto, 2014; Valtchanov and Ellard, 2015; Gerber et al, 2017; Basu et al, 2019). Research has shown that natural environments are an effective method to achieve attention restoration (Berman et al, 2008; Berto, 2014; Gamble et al, 2014; Ohly et al, 2016; Gerber et al, 2017; NavarroHaro et al, 2017)
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