VR to Improve Psychological Recovery After Critical Illness
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Use of Virtual Reality to Improve Psychological Recovery Following Critical Illness
IRAS ID
299663
Contact name
Jacqueline Twamley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 31 days
Research summary
Critical care survivors face significant barriers in their recovery, experiencing a high incidence of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is caused by very stressful, frightening or distressing events. This can result in the avoidance of contact with healthcare settings and staff and can affect a patient's willingness to engage in rehabilitation activities, and affect their relationships and ability to work.
Virtual reality (VR) has been used to treat PTSD in veterans of conflicts such as soldiers. Virtual reality allows progressive exposure in a safe and controlled way, where the patient can feel in control of the situation. The proposal is to develop the VR equivalent of our CrCU (Critical Care Unit) and use this to prevent or to treat PTSD and other psychological/emotional responses to critical illness in former CrCU patients.
This innovative study has the potential for helping both our own critical care patients and also critical care patients nationally and perhaps worldwide. The study could also be used to inform and support families of CrCU patients, who are the main carers for patients during their recovery, and to train healthcare professionals about the patient experience.
Using a co-design approach, this VR content development study will take place at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals from July to October 2021 and will involve the creation of a Virtual CrCU environment and define the scope of its use in clinical practice.
Working with former CrCU patients and CrCU staff from the VR development will involve patient and staff consultation to inform the design and delivery of the VR intervention. Patients and staff will each be asked to take part in 1 focus group meeting and, if willing, a co-design meeting. On completion of this study we will have created the VR prototype to test in clinical practice.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/NW/0204
Date of REC Opinion
19 Aug 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion