A hospice in west London, managed by London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust is using virtual reality technology to help its patients manage anxiety and pain.
Meadow House, a day hospice and 15-bed inpatient unit located in the grounds of Ealing Hospital, has been trialling the headsets for the past month.
The technology from VR specialists Rescape, is based around distraction therapy, which effectively immerses a patient and tricks the brain into being present in another reality. This overwhelms the brain with information which leads to a reduction in pain and anxiety.
Jennifer Draper, Specialist Nurse says “it has been popular with both in-house and day patients offering ten seven minute virtual reality (VR) experiences including outer space, underwater and wildlife adventures.”
“It is primarily a distraction tool to help manage pain and has come from America where it has seen widespread use in tackling the opioid epidemic.”
“It has a different use here but the distraction technique is still the same as many of our patients live with pain, despite medication. It relieves anxiety and aids relaxation and breathing.”
Virtual reality already has several uses in medicine including patients being taken through their surgical procedure with a 360° VR reconstruction of their anatomy.
