Virtual Reality to Reduce Anxiety, Agitation and Delirium in Critically Ill Patients

Purpose

This is a pilot feasibility study examining the use of immersive virtual reality (VR) in adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The study evaluates whether brief, non-interactive VR sessions delivered using a commercially available standalone head-mounted display with calming, nature-based content can be delivered safely and effectively within routine SICU workflow. Exploratory objectives assess whether VR sessions are associated with changes in anxiety, agitation, delirium, pain, and sedative medication requirements. This research is not intended to evaluate the safety or effectiveness of the headset and/or the specific VR software used for the research

Condition

  • Feasibility, Tolerance and Safety of VR Delivery in an Adult ICU

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
All ages
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

  1. Aged ≥ 18 years old admitted to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. 2. No significant uncorrectable visual or auditory impairments 3. Estimated ICU length of stay > 48h 4. At the time of each VR session, able to keep eyes open for at least 30 seconds, follow simple commands and able to indicate discomfort or request to stop. 5. English speaking

Exclusion Criteria

  1. Significant hemodynamic instability 2. Known psychotic disorders associated with delusions (e.g. schizophrenia) 3. Severe dementia (e.g. inability to communicate or follow simple commands) 4. History of disequilibrium syndrome or vertigo 5. Acute hyperactive delirium, requiring physical restraints

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
N/A
Intervention Model
Single Group Assignment
Primary Purpose
Prevention
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
VR Intervention 		Critically ill patients
  • Device: Virtual reality (VR) therapy
    VR sessions will use a commercially available headset with non-interactive, immersive content displaying calming nature-based content (e.g., ocean/beach scenes, forests, mountains) delivered through a commercially available VR application

Recruiting Locations

Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033
Contact:
Pauline Go, MD
7175315429
paulinego@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Study Contact

Pauline H Go, MD
717-531-5429
paulinego@pennstatehealth.psu.edu