Ten-Minute VR Therapy Provides Sustained Pain Relief for Patients With Cancer

Ten-Minute VR Therapy Provides Sustained Pain Relief for Patients With Cancer
Physician's Weekly; 8/7/24
A new study suggests virtual reality pain relief interventions may be effective at reducing pain in hospitalized populations with cancer. Virtual reality (VR) provides pain relief in various health settings, but few studies investigate its impact on hospitalized patients with cancer. A recent study in Cancer intends to fill that gap. The researchers completed a randomized control trial in which patients received a VR pain relief intervention or a 2D alternative. While both provided pain relief, the VR intervention was more effective. The researchers also found that pain relief lasted up to 24 hours after the intervention. “Virtual reality is a relatively new, rapidly developing technology that has capabilities to influence the patient experience in innovative ways,” said Hunter Groninger, MD, in an interview. Dr. Groninger is the director of Palliative Care at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, where the study was conducted, and a professor of medicine at Georgetown University.