Experiences with embodied VR as learning tool for therapeutic communication skills in the OR

Qualitative prospective research where interviews are used to explore the meaning of a patient embodied VR experience amongst anesthesiologists who work in the LUMC. We explore VR as an educational tool to investigate if this technology might help create awareness of therapeutic communication skills.

Pre-operative anxiety is commonly associated with problematic anesthesia induction, higher need of analgesics and lower postoperative satisfaction scores outlining the urgent need for effective interventions for its reduction. As patients prepare for surgery, they might experience varying degrees of stress, anxiety and uncertainty. Awareness of therapeutic communication options might improve the welcome experience in the operating room, which is beneficial for patient comfort and satisfaction. Such an initial positive experience might even reduce anxiety and pain scores. Despite growing evidence in literature, knowledge on the effect of therapeutic communication on patients in the anesthesiology department is sparse. Furthermore, there is no general agreement nor regulation in the educational system on how to learn and teach about these therapeutic communicational skills.
A promising innovative intervention to create awareness on therapeutic communication might be virtual reality (VR). This technology allows users to experience any situation from any point of view. However, empirical evidence supporting the claim that VR is a more effective method than traditional perspective-taking is limited.

not applicable
This is a qualitative research without a particular hypothesis. We wish to explore the lived experience of our participants.

not applicable. There are no measurements and therefore no time points.

not applicable
There is no intervention. We simply conduct interviews with the participants.