Accepted for/Published in: JMIR XR and Spatial Computing (JMXR)
Date Submitted: Feb 13, 2025
Open Peer Review Period: Feb 19, 2025 - Apr 16, 2025
Date Accepted: Apr 4, 2025
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
VR for Physician Wellbeing – Feasibility, subjective effectiveness and acceptance of short virtual reality relaxation breaks for immediate perceived stress reduction in emergency physicians: a pilot study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Emergency physicians face significant stress in their daily work, adversely affecting patient care and contributing to physician burnout.
Objective:
This pilot study explored the feasibility, immediate effects, and acceptance of virtual reality (VR) relaxation on perceived stress reduction among emergency physicians.
Methods:
The study was conducted at the Department of Emergency Medicine, Bern, Switzerland, in February 2023. Voluntary participants underwent a six- to eight-minute VR meditation program at their workplace. Subjective short-term stress reduction was measured using a numeric rating scale (NRS) ranging from 0 ("not at all stressed") to 10 ("extremely stressed"). Feasibility, user acceptance, and technical aspects were evaluated using validated and self-constructed questionnaires.
Results:
Thirty-five emergency physicians completed 39 VR simulation sessions. Baseline stress levels (median NRS 4, IQR 2–6.5) were significantly reduced post-intervention (median NRS 2, IQR 1–4; P<.001), particularly among participants with high baseline stress levels. Reported side effects (simulator sickness) were minimal, median score of presence and immersion according to the questionnaire developed by Slater-Usoh-Steed was 4 (IQR 3-4) (scale 1-7, with 7 = full immersion). User satisfaction was high. Implementation challenges mainly included technical issues and time constraints due to high workload.
Conclusions:
This pilot study suggests that brief relaxing VR sessions may help reduce short-term perceived stress levels in emergency physicians with minimal side effects and high user satisfaction. Future studies should address implementation challenges to optimize integration into clinical workflows.
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