Piloting an immersive virtual reality 3D self-management education experience for adults with type 1 and type 2...

Diabetes is a condition of global concern that can be mitigated through self-management education. Virtual reality (VR) technology offers an immersive and interactive approach. It may promote self-care and access to healthcare information. This study aimed to explore the experiences of adult participants with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes during the piloting of a 3D Automatic Virtual Reality Environment (VR-CAVE) approach to diabetes education. The study objective was to capture the participants' ideas for the future development of VR technology as a diabetes educational tool.

We recruited fifteen adults with type 1 or 2 diabetes and invited them to a short diabetes education module in the VR-CAVE. Subsequently, we undertook qualitative focus group interviews to elicit and evaluate the participants' experiences of various design elements and their considerations for future development.

Three categories emerged: 'Experience of an immersive learning environment for diabetes education', 'Comparison with prior diabetes educational experiences' and 'Imagined development of the VR-CAVE technology'. The participants reported a novel experience and a better understanding of the physiology of diabetes. The presence of an avatar felt non-judgemental.

Participants are open to using a VR-CAVE for diabetes education. This study identifies aspects that could be enhanced through an immersive environment. Further research is needed to realise the benefits for the diabetes community and scale-up the virtual reality resources and technology for different platforms to enable access for individuals and health service organisations.