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Virtual reality program offers ‘positive, relaxing distraction’ for patients undergoing chemotherapy
Christiana Care Health System launched a virtual reality program designed to improve the experience of patients who receive chemotherapy.
“Our objective was to offer our patients a positive, relaxing distraction — an escape from the confinement of the chemotherapy infusion suite and boredom, anxiety or discomfort they may associate with their chemotherapy treatment,“ Cynthia D. Waddington, MSN, RN, AOCN, clinical director of cancer programs at Christiana Care’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute, said in a press release.
Nurses at Graham Cancer Center worked with Christiana Care’s Health Technology & Innovation Center and volunteer services to implement the program.
The American Nurses Credentialing Center awarded the health system its Magnet Prize in recognition of this initiative. The award recognizes innovative nurse-led actions that transform care delivery.
HemOnc Today spoke with Waddington about the program’s benefits, how it may be expanded, and what winning the Magnet Prize meant to her and her colleagues.
Question: How did this virtual reality program come about?
Answer: We implemented this project about 18 months ago. Susan Coffey, MD, director of medical education at Christiana Care’s Virtual Education & Simulation Technology Center, brought the idea to us while she was serving as a support person for a patient receiving chemotherapy. Coffey noticed that the environment of the infusion suite — sounds, activities and even the site of other patients with cancer— was sometimes hard for patients and family members to bear. She contacted Nicholas J. Petrelli, MD, FACS, medical director of Helen F. Graham Cancer Center and HemOnc Today’s associate editor for surgical oncology, to offer her idea of virtual reality. He pulled a team together to evaluate the use of this new technology in our chemotherapy suite.
Q: What does it entail?
A: Virtual reality is offered to our patients and caregivers as a positive distraction. Volunteers bring around our virtual reality cart, which holds a laptop, virtual reality goggles and a few other supplies. The volunteer helps the participant put on the headset and make necessary adjustments.
Currently, participants are given a choice of six outstanding nature scenes to view. Once the goggles are on, the patient has access to a 360-degree view of the scene. Participants can look at whatever part of the scene interests them the most, spending as much time in any area as they desire. Scenes include a rainforest waterfall, an autumn forest, the southern coast of Ireland, an alpine lake, a winter landscape and Australian beach dunes.
As we watch patients, we initially hear a lot of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs.’ Then it becomes a quieter, mindful experience as they explore the details of the scenes. Those who are sitting near the patient can watch what he or she is viewing on the laptop screen.
Q: What feedback have you received ?
A: During our initial pilot, 98% of participants reported that virtual reality was relaxing, 64% reported it was useful for boredom and anxiety, 66% reported it was useful for entertainment and all reported they enjoyed it and would do it again. Our patients tell us that virtual reality provides a distraction, and that it takes their mind off what they are going through and why they are at the cancer center. Many of our patients have commented that they are surprised but happy that they can try virtual reality in the chemotherapy suite. Our patients were very grateful that we asked for their participation when we were piloting this project.
As virtual reality is offered by our volunteers, our patients have added a new member to their support team. They have established relationships with our volunteers who, along with offering virtual reality, take the time to get to know our patients and their family members.
During our initial pilot, the innovation center team members worked directly with patients in the chemotherapy suite. The team felt privileged to be allowed into their world when many feel quite vulnerable — it feels as if they are entering into a sacred space with our patients.
We are happy to add this option to other activities our patients can take advantage of, such as our pet therapy program. We believe this shows that we care about their well-being and comfort while in the infusion suite.
The virtual reality experience is often a vehicle to support relationships with our patients. We have had a few patients relate what they saw with virtual reality to some of their own personal experiences and share them with us and those around them. For one patient, the winter forest scene reminded him of when he developed land with his brother in the Pennsylvania mountains. It can also lead to conversations about places people would like to visit. We had a patient who had always wanted to go to Ireland. After she saw the virtual reality of the Ireland coast, her goal was cemented. She shared with us that she had no one to go with. The staff surrounding her quickly offered to go along and, from there, it became a great conversation as to who would go and what they would see.
Q: What does the Magnet Prize mean to you and your team?
A: We are deeply honored to be recognized as recipients of the Magnet Prize. Winning the Magnet Prize means that there is a confidence in this project and our ability to carry out this great work. This prize gives us yet another way to serve from our core values and behaviors —with love and excellence. It also gives us the platform to share our work with all Magnet institutions, as we will present the findings of our program expansion and clinical trial at the October 2019 Magnet conference.
Q: Are there plans to expand this program?
A: We want to expand our library to offer a greater selection of videos. Patients have provided feedback on scenes they would like to see. We want to expand this from our outpatient chemotherapy suites to other units in the system, including an inpatient unit. We are developing a project for which we will explore virtual reality technology and the impact on reducing anxiety for first-time chemotherapy patients. In this case, we are using virtual reality not as a positive distraction, but as an educational tool. A nurse researcher has joined our team, as this project will take place in the form of a clinical trial.
Q: Is there anything else that you would like to mention?
A: We had a patient who wanted to see Cape May, New Jersey, on virtual reality. A member of our Innovation Center team took the 360-degree camera, and she and her husband filmed a Cape May virtual reality video for this patient and others. The patient was thrilled and overwhelmed with the sites of a beautiful place she once visited with her family.
This technology has provided an avenue to make a very meaningful human connection. Working together on this project between caregivers, including volunteers from throughout our system, has shown what research has supported: Collaboration between departments in health care can have positive outcomes for both patients and staff. – by Jennifer Southall
For more information:
Cynthia D. Waddington, MSN, RN, AOCN, can be reached at Christiana Care Health System, 200 Ruthar Drive, Newark, DE 19711; email: cwaddington@christianacare.org.
Disclosure: Waddington reports no relevant financial disclosures.