Virtual Reality (VR) isn't exactly the first thing you think of when it comes to today's most innovative healthcare innovations. But what if I told you that the game-like and highly-immersive nature of VR has the potential to reduce the spread of one of today's biggest health epidemics: the Opioid Crisis?
I'm not trying to infer that VR is the magic cure for the entire Opioid Crisis. There are a number of challenges to consider – from rehabilitating those that are already addicted to making sure, clinically, that opioids are prescribed and taken correctly by patients. VR could absolutely play a role in those areas but what I am suggesting here is the very real possibility that VR could be used in a way that some patients would never need Opioids to treat their pain in the first place.
Sounds like science fiction, but very real research and clinical trials are proving that VR can not only be used to treat pain, but that it can be more effective than pain medication.
Take, for instance, recent research from Cedars-Senai that demonstrates how VR can reduce the experience of pain—all kinds, from joint injuries to cancer—by 25 percent.
https://www.cedars-sinai.edu/About-Us/News/News-Releases-2017/Cedars-Sinai-Study-Finds-Virtual-Reality-Therapy-Helps-Decrease-Pain-in-Hospitalized-Patients.aspx
“Studies have consistently shown that opioid use in the hospital is often associated with an increase in inpatient mortality and aggregate morbidity, including respiratory failure, surgical site infection, mechanical ventilation, pneumonia, myocardial infarction, and postoperative ileus (when your intestines stop contracting), as well as prolonged hospital stays and non-routine discharges. In other words, giving a patient opioids to treat post-operative pain can make them sicker.This is not to say that patients should be left writhing in pain in their hospital beds: We need to start using a multi-disciplinary and multi-modal approach to pain management.”
Recently, I had the opportunity to experience the impact that VR can have on the patient experience when we hosted the WonderLab – a 3D art adventure that we designed for the brave children at MassGeneral Hospital for children.
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The more immersive version of they same kind of video games that can consume people's attention for hours on end.
Treating the body – and mind
Bring it back to the key areas we see VR playing a role:
- Pain management
- Emotional health
“…physicians have begun to use video games to motivate patients to improve their health, the authors said. In the video game “Re-Mission,” child cancer patients can control a tiny robot that shoots cancer cells, overcomes bacterial infections and manages nausea and other barriers to adhering to treatments. A 2008 international study in 34 medical centers found significantly greater adherence to treatment and cancer-related knowledge among children who played “Re-Mission” compared to children who played a different computer game.
http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2013/11/video-games.aspx
Currently the most prevalent and main stream methods of treating pain revolve around prescribed medication. This method of treatment, while successful, is a passive approach to pain management and medicine adherence. We are proposing to take a more ACTIVE approach by using Virtual Reality for extensive patient interaction and participation.
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Higher patient satisfaction?
“None of us joined this profession to hurt people, and it feels natural to treat the pain that we see in front of us each day as aggressively as possible…We see patients suffering, and our reflex as doctors is to help them.”
“Additionally, doctors may face many other external pressures to treat pain, since pain control is part of several metricsincluded in the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey, which is linked closely to Medicare reimbursements.”
