Virtual Reality for Health Care Professionals During a Pandemic: A Pilot Program

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Technology
• Mental Health Interventions
• Virtual Reality Applications

Background:

• Healthcare providers (HCP) face significant stress, particularly during pandemics.
• The need for effective, accessible stress-reduction tools for HCP is critical.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety and usability of a nature-based virtual reality (VR) experience for HCP.
• To assess the impact of VR on HCP anxiety, resilience, emotional distress, cognitive function, and self-efficacy during a pandemic.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study involving 24 frontline HCP using a crossover design.
• Participants experienced two nature-based VR scenes and two 4K computer video scenes in randomized order.
• Outcomes included safety, acceptability, and changes in anxiety, resilience, distress, cognitive function, and self-efficacy.

Main Results:

• The VR nature-based scenes were safe and highly acceptable, with 96% willing to repeat the experience.
• All tested sessions significantly reduced anxiety scores (STAI Y1) from pre- to post-exposure.
• VR 'walk in the woods' showed the greatest anxiety reduction (6.4 points).

Conclusions:

• Nature-based VR interventions show potential for reducing stress and anxiety in healthcare providers.
• VR may be a valuable tool for supporting HCP mental well-being during high-stress periods.
• Larger-scale studies are necessary to confirm these promising findings.