Parental Voices on Virtual Reality in Pediatric Oncology: Experiences, Needs, and Pathways for Co-Design

Pediatric cancer treatments significantly affect children's physical, emotional, and social well-being. Virtual reality (VR) is emerging as a promising non-pharmacological tool to enhance quality of life during hospitalization, yet little is known about parents perceive its potential role in supportive care.

This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with five parents of children in remission from cancer. It explored their experiences during chemotherapy and their perspectives on how VR could help support children and families during treatment.

Parents described multiple challenges during hospitalization, including emotional distress, physical side effects, social isolation, logistical difficulties, and communication issues. While most had limited prior exposure to VR, they expressed openness toward its use to reduce anxiety, boredom, and loneliness. Parents emphasized that VR should complement, not replace, human interaction, and suggested age-specific applications, interactive content for adolescent and calming, passive experiences for younger children.

This study provides novel insights by integrating parental voices early in the co-design process of VR interventions for pediatric oncology. It identifies concrete psychosocial needs and offers recommendations to ensure future digital tools are developmentally appropriate and family-centered. While the small, homogeneous sample and absence of child participants limit generalizability, the in-depth qualitative approach offers valuable groundwork for future participatory research and VR intervention development in pediatric cancer care.