Virtual Reality-Based Education for Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy
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Virtual Reality-Based Education for Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy Liam J. Wang 1 & Brian Casto 2 & Join Y. Luh 3
&
Samuel J. Wang 2
Accepted: 4 September 2020 # The Author(s) 2020
Abstract We built a virtual reality (VR) application that runs on a commercially available standalone VR headset that allows patients to view a virtual simulation of themselves receiving radiotherapy. The purpose of this study was to determine if this experience can improve patient understanding of radiotherapy and/or reduce patient anxiety. We created software that reads data from our clinical treatment planning system and renders the plan on a life-size “virtual linear accelerator.” The patient’s CT simulation data is converted into a 3D translucent virtual human shown lying on the treatment table while visible yellow radiation beams are delivered to the target volumes in the patient. We conducted a prospective study to determine if showing patients their radiotherapy plan in VR improves patient education and/or reduces anxiety about treatment. A total of 43 patients were enrolled. The most common plans were 3D breast tangents and intensity-modulated radiotherapy prostate plans. Patients were administered pre- and post-experience questionnaires. Thirty-two patients (74%) indicated that they “strongly agree” that the VR session gave them a better understanding of how radiotherapy will be used to treat their cancer. Of the 21 patients who expressed any anxiety about radiotherapy beforehand, 12 (57%) said that the VR session helped decrease their anxiety about undergoing radiotherapy. In our single-institution, single-arm prospective patient study, we found that the majority of patients reported that the personalized VR experience was educational and can reduce anxiety. VR technology has potential to be a powerful adjunctive educational tool for cancer patients about to undergo radiotherapy. Keywords Virtual reality . Patient education . Cancer . Radiation oncology
Introduction Many cancer patients undergo radiotherapy as part of their treatment, a process which can be physically and psychologically demanding [1]. Cancer patients are often anxious about their treatment [2] or have misconceptions about the technology used in radiotherapy treatment. It is also common for Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-020-01870-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Samuel J. Wang [email protected] 1
Catlin Gabel High School, 8825 SW Barnes Rd, Portland, OR 97225, USA
2
Department of Radiation Oncology, Salem Health, 875 Oak St SE, Salem, OR 97301, USA
3
Department of Radiation Oncology, St. Joseph Hospital, 2700 Dolbeer St, Eureka, CA 95501, USA
patients to feel that they have a lack of control over their treatment. Currently, patients often do not have convenient access to general information about radiotherapy [3] or information about their personalized treatment plan. One method for alleviating these concerns is to edu
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