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Applied Sciences
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Virtual Reality Applications in Healthcare
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Virtual Reality Applications in Healthcare

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Computing and Artificial Intelligence".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2023) | Viewed by 16667

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Federica Pallavicini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Human Sciences for Education “Riccardo Massa”, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20100 Milano, Italy
Interests: virtual reality; video games; mental health; stress; healthcare

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last decade, virtual reality (VR) has become a game-changer for the healthcare sector in more than one way. This technology has been successfully applied in treating a wide range of mental health conditions, including stress and anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and pain management. In addition, VR represents a beneficial and effective instrument for the training and rehabilitation of cognitive skills, and it is adopted as an enjoyable method for physical rehabilitation. VR can also be used for medical education and training. It resulted in being greatly appreciated by students and proved to play a crucial role in improving medical knowledge and fostering surgical skills.

In this context, we welcome contributions to this Research Topic entitled “Virtual Reality Applications in Healthcare”. Theoretical, empirical, experimental, and case studies are welcome. All contributions should clearly address the practical and theoretical implications of the research reported.

We therefore welcome submissions of Original Research and Reviews on the following topics:

  • Application of VR at hospitals for the treatment of mental health conditions, neurocognitive disorders, for physical rehabilitation, and for medical education and training;
  • Design and evaluation of VR content for the treatment of mental health conditions, neurocognitive disorders, for physical rehabilitation, and for medical education and training;
  • Possible methodologies and technologic approaches that will promote VR access and adoption at hospitals;
  • Challenges and pitfalls in applying VR at hospitals the treatment of mental health conditions, neurocognitive disorders, for physical rehabilitation, and medical education and training.

Dr. Federica Pallavicini
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • virtual reality
  • health
  • education and training
  • hospitals
  • healthcare

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 5286 KiB  
Article
An Interactive Augmented and Virtual Reality System for Managing Dental Anxiety among Young Patients: A Pilot Study
by Reham Alabduljabbar, Maha Almutawa, Renad Alkathiri, Abeer Alqahtani and Hala Alshamlan
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(9), 5603; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app13095603 - 01 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2403
Abstract
Dental anxiety is a common health problem among children. It creates major issues for patients, parents, and dental professionals. Children who cancel or otherwise miss their dental appointments generally do so due to fear of the unknown and lack of understanding of what [...] Read more.
Dental anxiety is a common health problem among children. It creates major issues for patients, parents, and dental professionals. Children who cancel or otherwise miss their dental appointments generally do so due to fear of the unknown and lack of understanding of what they can expect from the environment and treatment when they arrive there. Some distraction interventions are already used by dental professionals, such as using clown doctors, watching cartoons, and utilizing the tell–show–do (TSD) technique. Still, the problem is common, and the fail to attend (FTA) rates at clinics are high. Familiarizing children with the dental setting and procedures in advance may help to manage their anxiety. This paper aims to help in managing children’s dental anxiety in a simple, attractive, and age-appropriate way through the use of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies. The developed system is named “Dr. Barea”. It targets Arabic-speaking children aged from 7 to 10 years old. It uses model–view–control (MVC) as its architectural design pattern. The proposed solution consists of three main sections: a 360° VR video that simulates a dental clinic environment, an educational description on dental tools using AR technology, and interactive educational stories that educate children about dental hygiene. The system performance was evaluated using unit, integration, performance, and user acceptance testing. The results demonstrate that the proposed solution, which performed reasonably, achieved the usability requirements and was engaging for learning information about dental hygiene. A feasibility study with 16 children was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed system. The Child Fear Survey Schedule—Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS) was used to measure children’s dental anxiety level. The T test was used to evaluate the differences between groups, and Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the distributions of gender and age between the groups. The CFSS-DS index in the VR group decreased after dental consultation (35.04 ± 9.14 before consultation and 32.32 ± 8.32 after consultation, p = 0.041). The implications of this study shall be beneficial to patients, parents, and dental professionals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Virtual Reality Applications in Healthcare)
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13 pages, 5471 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Virtual Reality-Based Products on Mild Cognitive Impairment Senior Subjects: An Experimental Study Using Multiple Sources of Data
by Mi Tian, Yuchao Cai and Jie Zhang
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(4), 2372; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app13042372 - 12 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1581
Abstract
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in pensioners has become an important concern in the aging population, and there are an increasing number of products, especially virtual reality (VR)-based products, to assist in the identification, intervention, and treatment of MCI older adults. Multiple studies on [...] Read more.
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in pensioners has become an important concern in the aging population, and there are an increasing number of products, especially virtual reality (VR)-based products, to assist in the identification, intervention, and treatment of MCI older adults. Multiple studies on the efficacy and usability of VR products are also receiving increased attention from designers. However, issues such as the efficacy testing of VR products still face serious challenges. In this study, we evaluated VR products looking at the interactive responsiveness of MCI older adults when using VR products, and analyzed the brain activation status and behavioral conditions of MCI older adults. Multisource data were generated by a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) device with high spatial resolution and a behavioral recording device reflecting motor abilities. Small-wave amplitudes were selected as indicators of brain activation to analyze six brain areas: LPFC, RPFC, LOL, ROL, LMC, and RMC. Eight aspects, such as overall upper-limb speed, upper-limb global acceleration, and median velocity, were selected as indicators for behavioral recording. The differences were observed by comparing the level of completion of interactive responses by MCI older adults between the two groups. The results showed that MCI older adults showed different levels of activation in brain regions when performing VR product-based tasks. The higher the level of cognition, the better the interactive response in the task and the stronger the activation of brain regions. Meanwhile, the level of interaction response had a significant correlation with the motor performance of MCI older adults, with stronger motor functions leading to a more effective interaction response to the product. This study proposes a new method to evaluate the feasibility of monitoring the interaction between the MCI elderly and VR-based products using fNIRS with Kinect, which provides a new way to evaluate the effectiveness of VR-based product-assisted treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Virtual Reality Applications in Healthcare)
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14 pages, 2143 KiB  
Article
Therapeutic Potential of Interactive Audiovisual 360-Degree Virtual Reality Environments for Anxiety Reduction—A Case Study with an Abstract Art Application
by Ilmari Jyskä, Kaija Puura and Markku Turunen
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(18), 9316; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app12189316 - 16 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2308
Abstract
The increasing contrast between limited resources and growing demand in psychiatric care for anxiety disorders has caused an urgent need to find new cost-effective methods for treatment. This article studies the therapeutic potential of interactive audiovisual abstract art in a 360-degree virtual reality [...] Read more.
The increasing contrast between limited resources and growing demand in psychiatric care for anxiety disorders has caused an urgent need to find new cost-effective methods for treatment. This article studies the therapeutic potential of interactive audiovisual abstract art in a 360-degree virtual reality environment as a method for reducing anxiety and inducing relaxation. The study consists of experimental research of a virtual reality relaxation application called Binaural Odyssey. This research was conducted with 13 research participants between June and August 2021, and it uses a within-subjects design. Digital questionnaires, structured interviews, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) data, and the researcher’s observations during the research situation were used to gather research data. Results of the study suggest that this method can produce positive mental health effects for the users, such as reduced anxiety and tension, as well as increased relaxation levels and mental resources. Binaural Odyssey is a promising prototype of this method, but it lacks parity regarding application contents and clear therapeutic goals and, therefore, cannot be recommended for treatment purposes. However, further development with mental health professionals could pave the way for a new functional treatment method for reducing and controlling anxiety and tension. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Virtual Reality Applications in Healthcare)
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17 pages, 1710 KiB  
Article
Psychoeducation on Stress and Anxiety Using Virtual Reality: A Mixed-Methods Study
by Federica Pallavicini, Eleonora Orena, Federica Achille, Maddalena Cassa, Costanza Vuolato, Stefano Stefanini, Chiara Caragnano, Alessandro Pepe, Guido Veronese, Paolo Ranieri, Sara Fascendini, Carlo Alberto Defanti, Massimo Clerici and Fabrizia Mantovani
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(18), 9110; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app12189110 - 10 Sep 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3512
Abstract
Virtual reality can help individuals to manage stress and anxiety. In addition to its efficacy in reducing stress and anxiety through relaxation, virtual reality can be helpful for psychoeducation. However, to date, few studies have explored this topic. Therefore, this mixed-methods sequential explanatory [...] Read more.
Virtual reality can help individuals to manage stress and anxiety. In addition to its efficacy in reducing stress and anxiety through relaxation, virtual reality can be helpful for psychoeducation. However, to date, few studies have explored this topic. Therefore, this mixed-methods sequential explanatory study, aimed to investigate the usability, sense of presence, emotional response, and effect on learning of MIND-VR, a psychoeducational virtual experience created to offer information on stress and anxiety. Twenty healthcare workers (60% female; mean age 43 ± 10) tried MIND-VR. Psychometric outcomes served as quantitative variables, while participant interviews provided qualitative data. Results showed that the virtual reality psychoeducational experience: (a) was highly usable and satisfying; (b) increased positive emotions (i.e., happiness and surprise) and decreased negative emotions (i.e., fear, sadness) and state anxiety; (c) elicited a strong sense of presence, especially spatial presence; and (d) was practical, simple, motivating, and engaging for learning information about stress and anxiety. These findings offer promising insights into that virtual reality may be an effective tool to provide psychoeducation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Virtual Reality Applications in Healthcare)
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17 pages, 643 KiB  
Article
FarmDay: A Gamified Virtual Reality Neurorehabilitation Application for Upper Limb Based on Activities of Daily Living
by Ana Rojo, Jose Ángel Santos-Paz, Álvaro Sánchez-Picot, Rafael Raya and Rodrigo García-Carmona
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(14), 7068; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app12147068 - 13 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1919
Abstract
Patients with upper limb disorders are limited in their activities of daily living and impose an important healthcare burden due to the repetitive rehabilitation they require. A way to reduce this burden is through home-based therapy using virtual reality solutions, since they are [...] Read more.
Patients with upper limb disorders are limited in their activities of daily living and impose an important healthcare burden due to the repetitive rehabilitation they require. A way to reduce this burden is through home-based therapy using virtual reality solutions, since they are readily available, provide immersion, and enable accurate motion tracking, and custom applications can be developed for them. However, there is lack of guidelines for the design of effective VR rehabilitation applications in the literature, particularly for bimanual training. This work introduces a VR telerehabilitation system that uses off-the-shelf hardware, a real-time remote setup, and a bimanual training application that aims to improve upper extremity motor function. It is made of six activities and was evaluated by five physiotherapists specialised in (2) neuromotor disorders and (3) functional rehabilitation and occupational therapy. A descriptive analysis of the results obtained from the System Usability Scale test of the application and a collection of qualitative assessments of each game have been carried out. The application obtained a mean score of 86.25 (±8.96 SD) in the System Usability Scale, and the experts concluded that it accurately reproduces activities of daily living movements except for wrist and finger movements. They also offer a set of design guidelines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Virtual Reality Applications in Healthcare)
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Review

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14 pages, 1399 KiB  
Review
Virtual and Augmented Reality as a Novel Opportunity to Unleash the Power of Radiotherapy in the Digital Era: A Scoping Review
by Giulia Marvaso, Matteo Pepa, Stefania Volpe, Federico Mastroleo, Mattia Zaffaroni, Maria Giulia Vincini, Giulia Corrao, Luca Bergamaschi, Ketti Mazzocco, Gabriella Pravettoni, Roberto Orecchia and Barbara Alicja Jereczek-Fossa
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(22), 11308; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app122211308 - 08 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3692
Abstract
Although radiation therapy (RT) provides several therapeutic advantages in terms of cancer control and quality of life, it continues to be a poorly understood field by most students and health workers. Theoretical lessons are not sufficient, while practical exercitations are time-consuming, both in [...] Read more.
Although radiation therapy (RT) provides several therapeutic advantages in terms of cancer control and quality of life, it continues to be a poorly understood field by most students and health workers. Theoretical lessons are not sufficient, while practical exercitations are time-consuming, both in terms of man- and machine-hours. Furthermore, RT candidates often have several prejudices that may affect their treatment choices, favoring the more well-known surgical or chemotherapy approaches or resulting in a high level of anxiety during treatment. Moreover, the misperception of low treatment control and its related side effects could worsen the patients’ psychological distress, already brought by a cancer diagnosis. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) could be a valid instrument for promoting the awareness of radiation oncology as a discipline with its own identity and respect in the scientific community. The aim of the present work is to provide a glance at the recent developments in AR/VR to support students’ education, personnel training and patients’ empowerment in this clinical setting. The main findings of our work show that such technologies have already become a reality in many institutions worldwide and it has been shown to be an effective strategy for raising educational standards, improving health workers’ skills and promoting patients’ well-being and compliance. These results seem to promote the further implementation of AR/VR technologies and their development as a driving force of a much-hoped-for revolution in the way patients are treated and radiation oncology is taught. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Virtual Reality Applications in Healthcare)
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