Surgery could be less stressful for patients following a virtual reality experience

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-11-01 02:00

Australia; International; VIC

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Giving a patient a virtual reality tour of the operating theatre before surgery could make the process less anxiety-inducing, according to Australian and international researchers. The researchers say anxiety before elective surgery is common and associated with negative outcomes. They recruited 74 people scheduled for their first surgery under general anaesthesia and randomly gave them either standard pre-surgery care or an eight minute tour of the operating theatre using a VR headset. The researchers say compared to standard care, the VR group showed less pre-surgery anxiety and lower stress levels both immediately after the VR tour and before the surgery. However, they say there was no difference in pain and the amount of time they stayed in hospital after the surgery between the two groups.