Virtual reality in symptom management in hospice care for patients with advanced cancer
Objective To explore the application effect of virtual reality(VR)technology in symptom management of hospice care for patients with advanced cancer.Methods Sixty-one advanced cancer patients with recurrence/metastasis who received treatment at a specialized cancer hospital in Zhejiang Province from July 2022 to January 2024 were selected for the study and provided one 30-minute VR relaxation experience.The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System(ESAS)---Chinese version was used to conduct multidimensional evaluations of the physical and emotional symptoms of patients before and after intervention to evaluate the effectiveness,and the 11 point Numeric Rating Scale(NRS)to immediately evaluate the changes in dizziness of patients before and after intervention to observe the occurrence of adverse reactions.Results After the VR relaxation intervention,the ESAS score of 61 enrolled patients were significantly lower than that before the intervention,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).The NRS score for dizziness was higher than that before intervention,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).After intervention,9 patients experienced mild dizziness or slightly aggravated dizziness,with an incidence rate of 15%.NRS score of dizziness fluctuated between 1 and 2 points,and all the symptoms can be alleviated on their own.Conclusion The application of VR technology in the hospice care of patients with advanced cancer can effectively improve their immediate symptoms such as pain,fatigue,nausea,anorexia,anxiety,and depression.It is safe and reliable.VR technology is expected to become an auxiliary treatment technology in the symptom management of hospice care for patients with advanced cancer.
virtual reality technologysymptom managementpatients with advanced cancerhospice care
国家科技期刊平台
NSTL
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