Using VR in Medicine by Small Cathleen;

Author:Small, Cathleen;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cavendish Square Publishing LLC
Published: 2019-06-08T00:00:00+00:00

VRET AT HOME?

While some people find therapy very beneficial, others avoid it for the simple reason that they don’t want to talk to a therapist. Some are uncomfortable feeling so emotionally exposed. Others find it hard to keep a scheduled appointment. Some even see talking to a professional as negative. For patients who cannot or do not want to work with a therapist in person but who would still potentially benefit from VRET, there are VR simulations under development that even include a virtual therapist.

A 2017 study in the United Kingdom looked at one hundred adults who had acrophobia—or a fear of heights. Forty-seven of those adults participated in VR sessions with a virtual coach. The virtual coach assessed patients and then invited them to choose the floor of a virtual building and perform such tasks as rescuing a virtual cat from a virtual tree branch. The control group of patients underwent no therapy at all.

The results were promising. In the control group, participants showed very little change in their fear of heights. However, the patients in the group who used coach-led VRET sessions self-reported that their fear of heights decreased significantly, by 68 percent on average. Two weeks after the VRET was completed, the patients were still reporting the decrease in their level of fear.

It’s important to know that these patients were assessed by answering questionnaires, which is not a foolproof method of collecting data. Also, one hundred participants make up a relatively small group. Still, the results are positive. There’s hope that in the future VRET will be available to more people, perhaps even in the comfort of one’s own home.

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