A pilot study to determine if the use of a virtual reality education module reduces anxiety and increases comprehension in patients receiving radiation therapy

Abstract

Pre-treatment patient education has been shown to decrease anxiety and enhance comprehension. Our pilot study evaluates the impact of VERT™, a virtual environment education tool, on these endpoints. Twenty-two patients with prostate cancer being treated with radiotherapy completed a 16-question comprehension/anxiety survey. Patients proceeded to VERT™, modeled after a flight simulator using realistic sounds and views. The test was then repeated. A power analysis determined that enrolling 20 patients achieves 80% power to detect an effect size of 0.89 with a Bonferroni-adjusted significance level of 0.003125 using a one-sided one-sample paired t test to analyze differences between individual pre/post-test scores. Descriptive statistics were reported and effect size was computed. Pre/post-test measures for all questions were statistically significant, favoring our hypothesis of improved education and reduced anxiety following virtual simulation except three measures of anxiety (low in both assessments). Baseline anxiety was highest for treatment precision, which also demonstrated the most significant pre/post-intervention improvement. Decreased anxiety and improved comprehension influence patient-reported satisfaction and can contribute to quality assurance. Implementation of virtual simulation was successful in improving comprehension and reducing anxiety. Development of personalized, site-specific, clinic-based virtual modules is a long-term goal of this pilot study.