Medical Virtual Reality
The Medical VR Research team is exploring how virtual reality systems can be leveraged to deliver patient therapy, assess mental disorders, and alleviate patient anxiety across a wide range of conditions. We are partnering with teams within Stanford and beyond to further our understanding of VR’s role in the healthcare industry. Please read below for a description of our ongoing medical VR projects.
Using VR for Remote Physical Therapy for Preperate and Recovery from Cancer Surgery
VR-PREP is examining our ability to deploy VR remotely for physical therapy (PT) in the preparation for and recovery from cancer surgery. VR-PREP addresses problems including that many patients value convenience, immunocomprised patients may fear exposures, and patients may face high co-pays, or face access challenges related to travel. Using off the shelf media and headsets, VR-PREP has demonstrated the feasibility and preference for remote PT, and developed an approach including safely mailing headsets, providing brief remote training, and technical support with check-ins can allow even older adults to use VR successfully in this manner. Having demonstrated the feasibility and assessed patient-caregiver preferences related to media and VR use for PT, our goal is to conduct a randomized controlled trial of in person PT vs. remote VR-PT with variable therapist avatar-based reinforcement. Furthermore, we will evaluate the use of multidimensional spatial and functional data to predict PT outcomes and improve the efficiency of VR-based PT. Ultimately, we expect to be able to predict patients for whom various approaches and strategies of reinforcement will lead to the best possible clinical surgical and cancer outcomes.
Using Virtual Reality to Deliver Behavioral Activation Therapy
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States. There is strong evidence for the efficacy of a very simple type of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression called Behavioral Activation (BA). BA encourages patients to change their mood by changing behavior. BA therapy begins with identifying positive activities – such as soaking in a bathtub, going to the mall, or lying on the beach – and scheduling them into the patient’s daily routine. However, many patients are unable to complete BA therapy due to lack of access to trained providers, physical constraints, diminished motivation, or geographical or financial reasons. We are investigating how virtual reality (VR) BA therapy may provide a solution to these barriers.
We are also examining if the benefits of VR-BA may extend to the older adult populations residing in assisted living communities. BA has been shown to reduce depressive symptoms in elderly adults diagnosed with depression and those who have not been formally diagnosed. Many of these individuals face functional limitations that prohibit engagement in activities, which contributes to low mood and/or depression. A BA-inspired VR protocol may have the potential to mitigate the lower mood, life satisfaction, and higher likelihood of depression seen in this population by allowing elderly adults to engage in pleasant activities that they are otherwise unable to participate in.
In collaboration with Dr. Kim Bullock in Stanford’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, we are creating and testing a VR-delivered BA protocol for both the MDD and the elderly adult populations.
For more information
Email vhil@stanford.comOur publications on medical uses of VR