Introduction
The PRESENCE project, funded by the European Union, involves 17 partners from industry, SMEs, universities, and research organisations across Europe collaborating to make social presence in extended reality more lifelike. The project tackles three main challenges: Realistic Visual Interactions; Realistic Touch and Haptics; and Realistic Social Interactions. SyncVR leads the Health Use Case, developing the most effective pain/stress management VR application for patients undergoing procedures.
SyncVR Medical is a mission-driven XR scale-up, building a platform to bring VR and augmented reality (AR) solutions to over 200 healthcare institutions across Europe and the UK. As the largest XR platform in these regions, SyncVR not only fosters innovation but also empowers a network of over 40 third-party developers to deploy their healthcare applications, reaching a broad audience and making significant strides in patient treatment and care.
The Growing Role of VR in Healthcare
XR is creating a key role for itself across several domains in healthcare. While we focus on pain management in the PRESENCE project, the three key domains of XR in healthcare today are the following:
- Pain Management: Hospitals are using VR to distract patients during painful procedures, reducing the need for sedatives and painkillers.
- Rehabilitation: VR games and exercises assist in the physical rehabilitation of patients, making the process more engaging and motivating.
- Staff Education: No better way to learn how to perform certain interventions and situations than by training them inside a virtual environment.
The application of VR for pain and stress management has gained increasing attention and validation from the scientific community. SyncVR has facilitated a number of studies, one of which recently showed a 44% increase in pain threshold (Pedersen et al., 2023). Another one showed significant anxiety reduction during port implantation interventions in the operating room (Sargut et al., 2022). While SyncVR started promoting the use of VR for pain/stress reduction from 2018 as an additional tool, it’s currently becoming the golden standard throughout Europe – a great step towards lower pharmacological use, and lower need for healthcare staff.
However, the most anxious patients often require additional support to manage their stress. They need:
- Support from Friends/Family: Having loved ones present to provide comfort and reassurance during medical procedures.
- Information from Clinicians: Clear communication about what will happen after the procedure to alleviate uncertainty and fear.
- Realistic Merge of Physical Sensations and VR: A seamless integration between what patients physically feel and what they see in VR, ensuring the virtual experience closely mirrors the real-world sensations to enhance the effectiveness of VR in pain and stress management.
SyncVR’s Strategic Integration in the PRESENCE Project
In the PRESENCE project, we will focus on three key topics that will enhance a pain/stress reducing experience in VR:
- Enhanced Realism: By focusing on realistic visual interactions, touch, and social interactions, the project aims to create more lifelike and effective VR experiences.
- Integration of Haptics: The use of haptic feedback to simulate touch and pressure adds a new dimension to the immersive experience, making it more effective for pain and stress relief.
- Advanced Social Interactions: The development of intelligent avatars and holoportation technology enhances the feeling of presence and support during medical procedures.
This we will develop in a phased approach:
- Phase 1: Tailored VR Development, integrating haptics, intelligent avatars and holoportation
What will a patient see after putting on the headset, a haptic glove and vest? We won’t tell al these secrets just yet, but we’re planning to make it the most effective technology for pain/stress reduction to date.
- Phase 2: Clinical Integration and Testing
At least 2 hospital sites will be involved in user testing and studies, thereby validating if all these innovative ideas actually work.
- Phase 3: Validation and Feedback
Iterating on the feedback from patients and clinicians, SyncVR will ensure that the intervention aligns with healthcare processes, saves time for clinicians, and reduces pharmacological consumption.
Conclusion
As VR technology becomes increasingly recognized as an effective tool for clinical pain and stress management, the PRESENCE project will get the concept to the next level by integrating haptics, virtual ava. Stay connected with us through our blog as we continue to push the boundaries of healthcare technology, transforming innovative ideas into reality for the benefit of patients.
