Virtual Reality and Improving Patient Experience in Localized Prostate Cancer

The use of virtual reality (VR) in the oncology space has gained increased attention in the past years, with its use ranging from reducing anxiety in patients through virtual environments to educating and training medical professionals.

New research by Ram A. Pathak, MD, and colleagues has analyzed the utility of a VR model developed with patient-derived clinical imaging to improve patient understanding of diagnosis and surgical plans in those with localized prostate cancer (PCa).

Data were recorded from a group of 15 patients who underwent robotic radical prostatectomy, and each patient completed a questionnaire after consultation and decision-making with their surgeon to determine their baseline knowledge of their diagnosis.

Patients were then guided through a VR experience to view their specific anatomy in a 3-dimensional (3D) space, and completed the same questionnaire again followed by a post-VR questionnaire that gauged patient satisfaction, which focused on the patient’s understanding of prostate cancer and their treatment plan.

A standard Likert scale was used for questions 1-7 and 11-17, while questions 8-10 were multiple choice questions with 1 correct answer.

A total of 6 out of 7 questions showed an improvement after VR (P<.001). The amount of correct answers on questions 8-10 were higher after VR, but were not statistically significant (P>.13). Mean responses from the post-VR questionnaire ranged from 4.3 to 4.8, with a mean total of 31.9 out of 35.

This study demonstrates the potential of VR as an alternative to traditional patient counseling in an effort to improve patient experience. Due to this study’s small sample size, further research is needed in larger populations to determine the value that VR provides to prostate cancer surgical counseling.