The Use of Immersive Virtual Reality in Reducing Anxiety Among Emergency Healthcare Professionals

TL;DR

This study shows that immersive virtual reality can reduce anxiety and stress in emergency healthcare workers.

Contribution

The study introduces immersive projection-based IVR as a novel on-demand stress reduction tool for high-pressure healthcare environments.

Findings

IVR was associated with reduced self-reported anxiety and acute decreases in heart rate and blood pressure.

Participants reported feeling emotionally better after IVR sessions compared to usual rest.

Changes in burnout and perceived stress were small and not statistically significant.

Abstract

Introduction: Anxiety and burnout are common among emergency department (ED) healthcare professionals. Immersive virtual reality (IVR) may offer an on-demand, feasible strategy to support staff well-being in high-pressure settings. We evaluated whether an immersive projection-based IVR program was associated with changes in anxiety, burnout, perceived stress, and physiological stress markers in ED professionals.

Methods: We conducted a prospective within-subject, quasi-experimental study in a hospital ED. Of 198 eligible professionals, 131 enrolled. The study followed a fixed sequence: a four-week IVR phase (four weekly 20-minute sessions using the MK360 immersive projection system), an eight-week washout, and a four-week control phase (four 20-minute "usual rest" sessions). Emotional outcomes were assessed at baseline and end-of-phase for both IVR and control using the Goldberg Anxiety Scale (GAS; prior 15 days), Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), and Perceived Stress Scale-14 (PSS-14; prior month). Heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) were measured immediately pre/post each session.

Results: Sixty-seven participants completed all sessions and assessments. The mean GAS decreased during the IVR phase (4.0±3.2 to 3.2±3.2; p<0.05), while changes in MBI-HSS subscales and PSS-14 were small and not statistically significant. At the end of the IVR phase, 25.4% reported feeling emotionally better, and none reported feeling worse. During the control phase, the mean GAS showed a smaller decrease (2.9±2.9 to 2.6±2.9), and 17.9% reported feeling better, while 4.5% reported feeling worse. Across IVR sessions, pre-post reductions were observed in HR and systolic BP in several sessions, whereas changes during usual rest were generally smaller and less consistent.

Conclusion: In this fixed-sequence, within-subject study, an immersive projection-based IVR program was associated with reduced self-reported anxiety and acute decreases in selected physiological stress markers among ED professionals. Findings should be interpreted in light of attrition and potential period effects; further controlled studies are warranted.