Jul 2026· International Conference on Serious Games and Applications for Health· pp. 1-8· 0 citations· 26 references
Abstract
Depression and anxiety affect up to 52% of hemodialysis patients, yet most cases remain undiagnosed and untreated. This paper presents the design and preliminary evaluation of an immersive virtual reality mindfulness application specifically designed for use during hemodialysis sessions, when patients remain physically immobilized for 3-4 hours, three to four times weekly, to transform this idle treatment time into therapeutic psychological intervention without imposing additional time burdens. The application integrates naturalistic Alpine environments, alpha-frequency binaural beats, guided meditation, and positive affirmations within a 30-minute experience accessible through head-tracking-only interaction to accommodate patients’ restricted movement during dialysis. Preliminary evaluation with eight healthy volunteers in a laptop setting demonstrated excellent usability (System Usability Scale: 91.88/100) and high immersion (EGameFlow: 5.75/7), with particularly strong performance on cognitive immersion dimensions therapeutically relevant for anxiety and depression management, including temporal distortion, sustained attention, and worry reduction. Qualitative feedback identified refinement priorities including narration pacing optimization and environmental visual enhancement. While this study establishes foundational usability and immersion benchmarks using laptop-based testing with nonclinical participants, clinical validation with actual hemodialysis patients using head-mounted displays remains necessary to assess therapeutic efficacy and implementation feasibility in dialysis care contexts.
A VR-based EMDR application that automates therapy delivery while maintaining clinical rigour and patient engagement for trauma treatment is presented, incorporating therapist-informed designs, naturalistic virtual environments, and game-inspired interaction mechanics to enhance usability and immersion.
Mu Mu, Olive Chan, A. Debus et al.· Virtual Reality· 0 citations
Background: Anxiety before surgery is common and may disturb physiological stability
and recovery. Because sedative drugs can cause side effects, safe non-pharmacological
strategies are needed. Virtual Reality provides immersive distraction, while Benson
relaxation promotes a calming response through controlled breathing. Purpose: To
determine whether combining Virtual Reality and Benson relaxation reduces anxiety in
patients awaiting elective surgery. Methods: The research followed a quasi-experimental
design with pre- and post-intervention assessments and a comparison group without
random allocation. A total of 44 patients were recruited using purposive sampling. Of these,
22 received a combined Virtual Reality and Benson relaxation session, while the remaining
22 underwent standard preoperative care. Participants’ anxiety was measured prior to the
intervention and again afterward using the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and
Information Scale (APAIS). Results: Anxiety decreased more in the intervention group.
Posttest scores averaged 14.18 ± 4.594 versus 17.91 ± 4.587 in controls, with a mean
difference of −3.727 (95% CI: −6.521 to −0.934; p = 0.010). Conclusion: The combined
intervention was more effective than standard care in lowering preoperative anxiety.
Implications for Nursing: Nurses may apply this approach to improve emotional comfort
and readiness for surgery.
Keywords: Benson Relaxation, Preoperative Anxiety, Nursing intervention, Virtual reality
Suyanto S. Kep· Jordan Journal of Nursing Re...· 0 citations
Prolonged hospitalization and immobility are associated with functional decline, reduced independence in Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), and increased morbidity. Conventional rehabilitation approaches often face challenges related to patient engagement, especially among individuals with psychological or motivational barriers. This study presents the development and validation of Life in Play, an immersive Virtual Reality (VR) serious game designed to support ADL training in hospitalized adult patients. A methodological pilot study was conducted in a hospital ward using a Meta Quest 3 headset, evaluating usability, safety, and acceptability. Usability was assessed using the System Usability Scale (SUS) with 33 physical therapists, yielding a mean score of 82.0 (±8.0), indicating excellent usability. Acceptability and intrinsic motivation were measured using the IMI-TEQ-Br, yielding high Interest/Pleasure (6.33 ± 0.12) and low Pressure/Tension (2.95 ± 0.87), while safety was monitored through hemodynamic parameters and the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ), which had a score of 16.52. Five patients completed the intervention. Most sessions were asymptomatic or presented only mild oculomotor symptoms, with one participant discontinuing due to claustrophobia. Repeated exposure resulted in reduced SSQ scores, and correlations were observed between hemodynamic parameters, BORG scale, and SSQ. Overall, the findings suggest that the VR system is usable, safe, and well accepted in the hospital setting, supporting its feasibility as an adjunct tool for ADL rehabilitation.
A. Donascimento, Victor F. P. Sassi, T. Porcino et al.· International Conference on...· 0 citations
Immersive virtual reality (VR) has shown promise as an effective non-pharmacological analgesic, theorized to primarily work through presence-mediated distraction. Recent developments have enabled consumer access to immersive mixed reality (MR), which grounds virtual elements in the user’s real surroundings. As MR becomes increasingly available on consumer headsets, and as AR glasses capable of similar digital overlays approach mainstream adoption, understanding the therapeutic efficacy of these blended-reality experiences relative to VR is essential for informing their use in therapeutic contexts such as pain management. This study conducted an exploratory comparison of MR and VR during the cold pressor task (CPT), employing a randomized crossover design with a counterbalanced condition order and a washout period. Using a Meta Quest 3, 25 participants completed the CPT while interacting with an identical game in either VR or MR mode. Pain tolerance, measured as time to hand withdrawal, was analyzed using survival analysis and a linear mixed model, supplemented by electrodermal activity and validated questionnaires. Results suggest that VR elicited significantly greater presence than MR, while pain tolerance did not differ significantly between conditions, though VR showed a small but consistent trend towards higher pain tolerance. These findings support the validity of the experimental design and are consistent with a presence-mediated distraction hypothesis, though the non-significant pain outcome limits causal interpretation. Exploratory analyses suggested a possible temporal pattern, with VR’s relative advantage increasing after the initial shock of the ice bath before leveling off. Lastly, this work establishes a methodological foundation for comparing analgesic efficacy between VR and MR, though the study was underpowered to detect the observed effect size and adequately powered replications are needed to confirm these findings.
Maxim Kuznetsov, Aviv Elor, S. Kurniawan· International Conference on...· 0 citations
Patients in protective isolation often develop symptoms of anxiety. Virtual reality therapy and hypnosis could be of benefit to these patients, as both have been shown to relieve anxiety in a hospital setting. In this study, we investigated the use of virtual reality hypnosis (VRH), which induces a state of hypnosis. The primary aim was to determine whether VRH would reduce patients’ anxiety during protective isolation. The secondary aim was to determine whether it would also relieve any pain. This parallel group, open-label, single-center randomized trial included adult neutropenic patients who were about to undergo protective isolation within a hospital. The patients were randomly allocated, to receive either a 20-min session of VRH (n = 30) or a control activity (n = 30), for three days. The outcome measures included state anxiety from the state-trait anxiety inventory and pain on a visual analogue scale; these were assessed both before and after each session. The state anxiety questionnaires could be scored for 58 patients on day 1, 40 on day 2, and 30 on day 3. The mean scores were found to fall following the VRH and control sessions. The reduction in S-anxiety was found to be significantly greater for the VRH group (-6.4 ± 9.6) than for the control group (-1.9 ± 5.3; p = 0.03). The pain ratings were low (< 2) and did not differ between the groups. This study indicates that VRH is effective for reducing patients’ anxiety during protective isolation, and may therefore be beneficial for patients. Trial registration: This study was registered in Clinical Trials (NCT04794608, date of registration: 2021/03/03) and in ANSM (French drug regulator: 2020-A02561-38).
Anne-Violaine Doncker, Xavier Cahu, Benoit Bareau et al.· Supportive Care in Cancer· 0 citations
Digital immersive landscapes create immersive interactive scenarios through multi-channel sensory stimulation of vision, hearing and touch, providing new technical support for art therapy. This study constructs a multisensory interaction system with VR, AR and biosensing technologies, retrospectively analyzes the past therapy data of 60 subjects with mild anxiety, and explores the therapeutic effects of multisensory combinations combined with physiological indicators such as skin conductance, heart rate variability, cortisol, and SAS and POMS psychological scales. The results show that the anxiety relief rate of three-channel synergistic stimulation of vision, hearing and touch reaches 68.4%, which is significantly better than that of single-channel stimulation; 20-25 minutes is the optimal immersion duration. While haptic feedback increased positive emotional arousal (engagement) by 23.7%, it simultaneously facilitated a more profound reduction in physiological stress indicators, suggesting a “grounding” mechanism that enhances therapeutic presence without triggering defensive sympathetic overactivation. The study clarifies the multisensory synergistic therapy mechanism, constructs a dynamic allocation model of sensory weights, and provides a quantitative basis for the engineering design of digital therapy systems. The haptic and biosensing modules make the system suitable for immersive therapy devices that combine physiological feedback with tactile interaction.
