"Isla Calma", a Novel Virtual Reality Environment for Pain and Anxiety Distraction: Report on Usability,...

This report presents a new virtual reality-based tool named "Isla Calma" (IC), which is based on distracting procedures that facilitate competency among different stimuli and loads the individual's limited attention capabilities.

An incidental sample composed of 35 users (42.9 percent female) from northern Spain, with a mean age of 28.21 years (SD=5.67), was recruited to test IC. Tests were held in a room with two deck chairs and one complete set of IC equipment for each of them. A questionnaire with issues about usability, acceptability, game immersion, and subjective experience was administered.

Participants did not experience any difficulty in "moving" throughout the island. The map was considered useful by most of the users, and so were the narrator's instructions and voice. Previous experience with technology or with the controller did not affect the usability rates. In terms of acceptability, 92.3 percent of the users reported the wish to use IC again if they had the chance, and 73.6 percent would recommend its use in different medical procedures. In terms of immersion, the difference between actual and perceived time using IC was statistically significant (z=-4,141, P<0.001), with the generalized perception of having used less time than what it was actually required. Preliminary results in dental clinical settings are also presented.

IC was seen as a highly relaxing and pain distracting tool with potential clinical applications in different settings. It is expected that future research on IC will provide results on its applicability in different clinical settings.