Not so far in the future, clinicians might prescribe a virtual beach vacation to ease aches and pains instead of prescribing another pill. Psychiatrists might treat social anxiety by inviting patients to a dinner party or reminiscing with Alzheimer patients in a replica of their childhood home. Hospitals might immerse children in fantastical playlands while they receive chemotherapy or undergo frightening medical tests. It’s all starting to happen now because of virtual reality (VR). For decades, scientists in elite universities have been quietly discovering the surprising health benefits of VR for ailments ranging from burn injuries to stroke and acute stress. Over 17,000 studies reveal that VR has an uncanny ability to lower pain, calm nerves, and boost mental health without requiring pharmacotherapy. But the technology has been too expensive, unreliable, and unwieldy for the research to translate beyond the pages of academic journals and doctoral dissertations… until now. Explosive advances in delivering low-cost, portable, and high-quality VR has spawned a new field the FDA now calls Medical Extended Reality or MXR. In this lecture, Dr. Brennan Spiegel will describe frontline stories of using VR in over 3000 patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and will review his lab’s latest clinical research, including a trial testing VR in the hospital setting, a new virtual clinic for patients with IBS, and NIH sponsored research testing VR for managing acute and chronic pain.
Learning objectives
Define the new FDA field of extended medical reality (MXR)
Learn what the “metaverse” is and how it may be leveraged for treatment purposes
Evaluate clinical data using VR to support mental health conditions
Explore how VR is used to manage acute and chronic pain in the context of the opioid epidemic
Discuss implementation and funding challenges to scaling MXR across healthcare
Session Video
The "Opening Keynote" titled "Virtually Better: The Science and Practice of Therapeutic Virtual Reality" focused on the use of virtual reality (VR) technology in healthcare. Dr. Brennan Spiegel and Divya Chander discussed the benefits of VR in managing pain, anxiety, and mental health without relying on medication. They also highlighted the challenges of implementing VR in healthcare due to cost and accessibility issues.
Dr. Spiegel discussed his team's research in using VR at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to improve patient outcomes and the establishment of the FDA-recognized field called medical extended reality (MXR). He emphasized the need for more clinical trials and collaboration between researchers, clinicians, and industry leaders to expand the use of VR in healthcare.
Chander discussed her research in using VR to investigate consciousness and support tools for space exploration. She emphasized the importance of creating ethical guidelines and ensuring the privacy and safety of patients in the use of immersive technologies in healthcare.
Overall, the "Opening Keynote" highlighted the potential of VR to transform healthcare and improve patient outcomes, while also emphasizing the need for more research, collaboration, and ethical considerations in its implementation.
During the Opening Keynote, Dr. Brennan Spiegel and Divya Chander discussed the use of virtual reality (VR) in healthcare and the potential it holds for improving patient outcomes. Some of the main ideas and insights discussed were:
VR can provide non-pharmacological pain relief and improve mental health outcomes, and it is a promising tool for treating a range of conditions, including chronic pain, anxiety, and PTSD.
The cost and accessibility of VR technology have been a barrier to widespread adoption in healthcare, but recent advancements have made it more affordable and easier to use.
The use of VR in healthcare must be evidence-based and well-designed to ensure patient safety and efficacy.
VR can be used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, such as helping patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) manage their symptoms and assessing patients with neurocognitive disorders.
Privacy and security concerns must be taken into account when using VR in healthcare, as patients' sensitive information is being collected and shared.
More research is needed to fully understand the potential of VR in healthcare, but it holds great promise for improving patient outcomes and transforming the healthcare industry.
We are entering a post-reality era with a diminishing sense of safety, privacy, and trust. We need to come together to address these risks proactively and reduce harm to humans and societies. X Reality Safety Intelligence (XRSI) believes that the first step to this is creating awareness and safeguards.
Metaverse Safety Week 2023 is a week-long safety campaign, and we need your generous support in making it a Free-for-All, Accessible & Inclusive for everyone.
“The moment to create the change is now. Together we must make it happen.”
