Integrating Extended Reality Into Primary Care Chronic Pain Programs: A Real-World Feasibility Study of the REDOCVR...

Area of Science:

• Digital health interventions
• Extended Reality (XR) in healthcare
• Chronic pain management

Background:

• Public health chronic pain services face challenges with patient engagement and medication reliance.
• Extended Reality (XR) shows promise but lacks evidence for primary care integration and co-design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility, usability, and implementation of REDOCVR, an XR-supported psychoeducational program.
• To explore preliminary clinical outcomes of integrating XR into primary care chronic pain groups.

Main Methods:

• A nonrandomized, hybrid type 2 implementation study in 3 Spanish primary care centers.
• Co-design of XR modules with patients to enhance existing psychoeducational pain management groups.
• Evaluation of implementation metrics (adherence, usability, satisfaction) and clinical outcomes (well-being, anxiety, depression, pain, medication use).

Main Results:

• High adherence (85.7%) and patient satisfaction (82.4) with minimal cybersickness (5.6%).
• Significant improvements in emotional well-being (WEMWBS), anxiety (HADS-A), and depression (HADS-D).
• Reduced use of benzodiazepines (71.7%) and opioids (41.8%) in participants undergoing supervised tapering.

Conclusions:

• XR-enhanced psychoeducational programs are feasible for public primary care chronic pain management.
• Preliminary findings suggest improvements in well-being and reduced medication dependence.
• Results support further research into XR scalability and long-term effects in routine care.