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Assessing Patient Acceptance of Being Offered a Virtual Calm Room in Psychiatric Inpatient Care: Mixed Methods Study
Maria Ilioudi1,2, Steinn Steingrimsson2,3, Sara Wallström1,4,5,6
1Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Arvid Wallgrensbacke 1, Gothenburg, 405 30, Sweden, 1 031-786 00 00.
JMIR Formative Research
|December 29, 2025
Summary
Patients in psychiatric care found virtual reality (VR) calm rooms to be a modern and effective method for managing anxiety. They reported high satisfaction and a desire for increased availability of this innovative technology.
Area of Science:
- Mental Health Technology
- Psychiatric Inpatient Care
- Virtual Reality Applications
Background:
- Implementing new technologies in healthcare is challenging.
- Virtual reality (VR) shows promise in feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness for various health conditions.
- VR can offer calming environments to improve well-being in psychiatric inpatient settings, but real-world acceptance data is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore patient experiences with a virtual calm room offered for anxiety management in a psychiatric inpatient setting.
Main Methods:
- Mixed methods design combining qualitative (interviews, n=10) and quantitative (rating scale, n=59) approaches.
- Qualitative findings were validated by quantitative data from a larger patient population.
- Data collection involved individual interviews and a 3-item rating scale (1-5).
Main Results:
- Most participants were satisfied with the VR option, viewing the virtual calm room as a creative and stimulating environment.
- Patients expected VR to enhance relaxation and concentration, with human interaction being a key factor for a positive experience.
- High scores were reported for VR as a modern anxiety management method (mean 4.3) and willingness for future use (mean 4.4), with low reported difficulty (mean 2.1).
Conclusions:
- Patients are open to innovative methods for engagement in psychiatric settings, desiring more access to the virtual calm room.
- Balancing innovative technologies with human support is critical for successful implementation.
- Quantitative data confirmed high acceptance of the virtual calm room option, with no significant difficulties reported.
