Virtual reality

This study aimed to determine what childbearing women want when using virtual reality as an intrapartum pain management method. Researchers performed a qualitative exploratory study using content analysis. Two focus groups were organized including pregnant women anticipating a vaginal birth and women who recently had given birth, no longer than 6 months ago. The focus groups included a 30-minute virtual reality demo. In total, 10 women participated. Five themes emerged: (1) "try, test and explore": the need to receive information and to get acquainted with virtual reality during the antenatal period; (2) "variety and diversity in physical and digital options": the preference for a variety in virtual content and view virtual reality as a complementary method to methods for intrapartum pain management; (3) "distraction versus focus": virtual reality as a method to distract from pain, from the clinical context or to help them focus; (4) "comfort both physical and digital": measures to ensure a comfortable physical and virtual experience; and (5) "birthing partner": the potential need to include partners...

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of physical inactivity among children and adolescents is alarmingly high despite the well-documented and comprehensive benefits of regular physical activity (PA). Therefore, PA promotion should start early in childhood and adolescence. Although reducing recreational screen time in children and adolescents is an urgent concern, digital approaches have the potential to make activity promotion attractive and age appropriate for the target group. KIJANI is a mobile app approach to promote PA in children and adolescents via gamification and augmented reality...

This study tested the feasibility and efficacy of a Virtual Reality (VR) social prediction training (VR-Spirit) specifically designed for patients with congenital cerebellar malformation. The study is a randomised controlled trial in which 28 cerebellar patients aged 7-25 yo were randomly allocated to the VR-Spirit or to a control intervention in VR. The VR-Spirit required participants to compete with different avatars in scenarios that prompted them to form predictions about avatars' intentions. The control intervention consisted of games currently adopted for motor rehabilitation...

Neurosurgical procedures are some of the most complex procedures in medicine and since the advent of the field, planning, performing, and learning them has challenged the neurosurgeon. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are making these challenges more manageable. VR refers to a virtual digital environment that can be experienced usually through use of stereoscopic glasses and controllers. AR, on the other hand, fuses the natural environment with virtual images, such as superimposing a preoperative MRI image on to the surgical field [1]...

Background: Premature children are at increased risk of executive functions (EF) deficits and these difficulties persist into adolescence and adulthood, potentially undermining their development and academic achievements. The aim of the present randomized controlled trial (RCT) is to evaluate the efficacy of the Intendu trainer, an adaptive virtual reality platform, at ameliorating EF in preterm children. Methods: A single-center, RCT was conducted. The intervention group was exposed to game session with the Intendu software in addition to the standard of care in use in our center...

Introduction: Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is vital, but claustrophobia affects 10% of patients. The metaverse, an immersive virtual and augmented reality environment, has healthcare potential. We present a metaverse-based CMR simulation for claustrophobic patients. Methods: Three cardiomyopathy patients, initially CMR-refusing due to claustrophobia, received training via a virtual reality headset in a metaverse-based virtual hospital. Training efficacy was assessed through questionnaires and anxiety scales...

Anatomy education in the medical school curriculum has encountered considerable challenges during the last decade. The exponential growth of medical science has necessitated a review of the classical ways to teach anatomy to shorten the time students spend dissecting, allowing them to acquire critical, new knowledge in other disciplines. Augmented and mixed reality technologies have developed tremendously during the last few years, offering a wide variety of possibilities to deliver anatomy education to medical students...

Emotions play an important role in human-computer interaction, but there is limited research on affective and emotional virtual agent design in the area of teaching simulations for healthcare provision. The purpose of this work is twofold: firstly, to describe the process for designing affective intelligent agents that are engaged in automated communications such as person to computer conversations, and secondly to test a bespoke prototype digital intervention which implements such agents. The presented study tests two distinct virtual learning environments, one of which was enhanced with affective virtual patients, with nine 3rd year nursing students specialising in mental health, during their professional practice stage...

PURPOSE: This study assessed the feasibility of an in-home virtual reality intervention for chronic pain in adults with sickle cell disease. DESIGN: Two-group, parallel, randomized, multiple methods design with surveys, and interviews. METHODS: Participants were randomized to virtual reality or audio control, with 2-16-minute daily modules for 8 weeks, a daily pain diary survey, and a post study interview. Chronic pain and pain correlates were evaluated at baseline and every 4 weeks for 3 months...

INTRODUCTION: The consequence of complete or partial uncompensated vestibular dysfunction in children is usually balance disorders, with the risk of falls and increased fatigue, particularly during tasks requiring postural control. The aim of these recommendations is to establish guidelines for vestibular rehabilitation (VR) in children with vestibular impairment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The guidelines were developed based on a systematic review of the international literature, validated by a multidisciplinary group of French-speaking otorhinolaryngologists, scientists, and physiotherapists...

Shape display devices composed of actuation pixels enable dynamic rendering of surface morphological features, which have important roles in virtual reality and metaverse applications. The traditional pin-array solution produces sidestep-like structures between neighboring pins and normally relies on high-density pins to obtain curved surfaces. It remains a challenge to achieve continuous curved surfaces using a small number of actuated units. To address the challenge, we resort to the concept of surface continuity in computational geometry and develop a C0 -continuity shape display device with trichamber fiber-reinforced soft actuators...

OBJECTIVE: The aim is to examine whether the addition of Virtual Reality (VR) meditation training to a standard 8-week Mindfulness-Based Health Care Program (MBHC-VR) results in a significantly increased improvement in occupational, mental health, and psychological functioning versus MBHC-only in university students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized controlled clinical trial with three arms (MBHC, MBHC-VR, Control Group), four assessment time points (pre-intervention, inter-session, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up), and mixed methodology will be proposed...

OBJECTIVE: Mental health promotion programs using virtual reality (VR) technology have been developed in various forms. This study aimed to investigate the subjective experience of a VR-assisted mental health promotion program for the community population, which was provided in the form of VR experience on a bus to increase accessibility. METHODS: Ninety-six people participated in this study. The relationship between the subjective experience and mental health states such as depression, anxiety, perceived stress, and quality of life was explored...

Dental anxiety is common post-stroke, with many patients unable to receive standard anesthetics. Virtual reality has been increasingly used to manage pain and anxiety in dentistry, though its use in individuals with stroke is largely unexplored. A case series of two patients with a history of stroke and dental anxiety was conducted at a specialized dental clinic. Patients watched 360°-virtual reality videos in a dental chair using a head-mounted display. Outcomes (patient: dental anxiety and pain, reactions to virtual reality; dental team: system usability, impact on workflow) were assessed using a standard observation tool, questionnaires, and interviews...

We developed a prototype VR platform, VECTORS L&M (VLM), aiming to enhance the understanding of digestive surgery for students, interns, and young surgeons by limiting costs. Its efficacy was assessed via questionnaires before implementation in surgical education. The VLM provides nine-minute VR views of surgeries, from both 180- and 360-degree angles. It was created with L.A.B. Co., Ltd. and incorporates surgery videos from biliary malignancy patients. Following VLM development, a survey was conducted among surgeons who had experienced it...

This study investigates the visitor experience at the '3D HimmapanVR' virtual museum, which focuses on the preservation and dissemination of cultural heritage related to Thai mythical entities, specifically the Himmapan animals. Despite their cultural significance, information about these creatures is limited and fragmented. The HimmapanVR initiative aims to mitigate this issue by establishing a virtual museum that curates and exhibits these entities via a virtual reality (VR) platform, thus enhancing their accessibility, educational value, and conservation...

BACKGROUND: Virtual reality (VR) training can enhance health professionals' learning. However, there are ambiguous findings on the effectiveness of VR as an educational tool in mental health. We therefore reviewed the existing literature on the effectiveness of VR training on health professionals' knowledge, skills, and attitudes in assessing and treating patients with mental health disorders. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO (via Ovid), the Cochrane Library, ERIC, CINAHL (on EBSCOhost), Web of Science Core Collection, and the Scopus database for studies published from January 1985 to July 2023...

Artificial intelligence (AI) has demonstrated great potential in a wide variety of applications in interventional radiology (IR). Support for decision-making and outcome prediction, new functions and improvements in fluoroscopy, ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging, specifically in the field of IR, have all been investigated. Furthermore, AI represents a significant boost for fusion imaging and simulated reality, robotics, touchless software interactions, and virtual biopsy. The procedural nature, heterogeneity, and lack of standardisation slow down the process of adoption of AI in IR...

Interacting with the environment often requires the integration of visual and haptic information. Notably, perceiving external objects depends on how our brain binds sensory inputs into a unitary experience. The feedback provided by objects when we interact (through our movements) with them might then influence our perception. In VR, the interaction with an object can be dissociated by the size of the object itself by means of 'colliders' (interactive spaces surrounding the objects). The present study investigates possible after-effects in size discrimination for virtual objects after exposure to a prolonged interaction characterized by visual and haptic incongruencies...

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to determine the effect of virtual reality glasses used during intravenous catheter insertion on the child's emotional responses. DESIGN AND METHODS: The sample of the research, which was carried out as a randomized controlled experimental study, consisted of 102 children, including 51 in the control group and 51 in the study group, who were aged between 7 and 12 years and were on treatment in the pediatric emergency department(PED)...