tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Med Internet Res
. 2021 Dec 29.
doi: 10.2196/32368. Online ahead of print.
Intensive Care Unit-Specific Virtual Reality (ICU-VR) for Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients: A Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial
Johan Hendrik Vlake[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Jasper Van Bommel[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Evert-Jan Wils[SUP] 2 [/SUP], O Joseph Bienvenu[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Merel E Hellemons[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Tim I M Korevaar[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Anna F C Schut[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Joost A M Labout[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Lois L H Schreuder[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Marten P Van Bavel[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Diederik Gommers[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Michel Egide Van Genderen[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Although psychological sequelae after intensive care unit (ICU) treatment are considered quite intrusive, robustly effective interventions to treat or prevent these long-term sequelae are lacking. Recently, it was demonstrated that intensive care unit-specific virtual reality (ICU-VR) is a feasible and acceptable intervention with potential mental health benefits. However, its effect on mental health and ICU aftercare in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ICU survivors is unknown.
Objective: To explore the effects of ICU-VR on mental health and on patients' perceived quality of, satisfaction with, and rating of ICU aftercare among COVID-19 ICU survivors.
Methods: This was a multicenter, randomized controlled trial. Patients were randomized to either the ICU-VR (intervention) or control group. All patients were invited to an ICU post-COVID-19 follow-up clinic three months after hospital discharge, during which patients in the intervention group received ICU-VR. One month and three months later (four and six months after hospital discharge), mental health, quality of life, perceived quality, satisfaction with, and rating of ICU aftercare were scored using questionnaires.
Results: Eighty-nine patients (median age: 58 years; 63 [70%] males) were included. The prevalence and severity of psychological distress were limited throughout follow-up, and no differences in psychological distress or quality of life were observed between the groups. ICU-VR improved satisfaction with (median [IQR] score: ICU-VR, 9 out of 10 [8-10], vs. control, 7 out of 10 [7-9], p<0.001) and overall rating of ICU aftercare (9 out of 10 [8-10] vs. 8 out of 10 [7-9], p<0.01) compared to controls. ICU-VR added to the quality of ICU aftercare according to 81% of the patients, and all patients would recommend ICU-VR to other ICU survivors.
Conclusions: ICU-VR is a feasible and acceptable innovative method to improve satisfaction with and rating of ICU aftercare and adds to its perceived quality. We observed a low prevalence of psychological distress after COVID-19 ICU treatment, and ICU-VR did not improve psychological recovery or quality of life. Future research is needed to confirm our results in other critical illness survivors to potentially facilitate ICU-VR's widespread availability and application during follow-up.
Clinicaltrial: Netherlands Trial Register (trialregister.nl), NL8835, https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/8835.
. 2021 Dec 29.
doi: 10.2196/32368. Online ahead of print.
Intensive Care Unit-Specific Virtual Reality (ICU-VR) for Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients: A Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial
Johan Hendrik Vlake[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Jasper Van Bommel[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Evert-Jan Wils[SUP] 2 [/SUP], O Joseph Bienvenu[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Merel E Hellemons[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Tim I M Korevaar[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Anna F C Schut[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Joost A M Labout[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Lois L H Schreuder[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Marten P Van Bavel[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Diederik Gommers[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Michel Egide Van Genderen[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34978530
- DOI: 10.2196/32368
Abstract
Background: Although psychological sequelae after intensive care unit (ICU) treatment are considered quite intrusive, robustly effective interventions to treat or prevent these long-term sequelae are lacking. Recently, it was demonstrated that intensive care unit-specific virtual reality (ICU-VR) is a feasible and acceptable intervention with potential mental health benefits. However, its effect on mental health and ICU aftercare in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ICU survivors is unknown.
Objective: To explore the effects of ICU-VR on mental health and on patients' perceived quality of, satisfaction with, and rating of ICU aftercare among COVID-19 ICU survivors.
Methods: This was a multicenter, randomized controlled trial. Patients were randomized to either the ICU-VR (intervention) or control group. All patients were invited to an ICU post-COVID-19 follow-up clinic three months after hospital discharge, during which patients in the intervention group received ICU-VR. One month and three months later (four and six months after hospital discharge), mental health, quality of life, perceived quality, satisfaction with, and rating of ICU aftercare were scored using questionnaires.
Results: Eighty-nine patients (median age: 58 years; 63 [70%] males) were included. The prevalence and severity of psychological distress were limited throughout follow-up, and no differences in psychological distress or quality of life were observed between the groups. ICU-VR improved satisfaction with (median [IQR] score: ICU-VR, 9 out of 10 [8-10], vs. control, 7 out of 10 [7-9], p<0.001) and overall rating of ICU aftercare (9 out of 10 [8-10] vs. 8 out of 10 [7-9], p<0.01) compared to controls. ICU-VR added to the quality of ICU aftercare according to 81% of the patients, and all patients would recommend ICU-VR to other ICU survivors.
Conclusions: ICU-VR is a feasible and acceptable innovative method to improve satisfaction with and rating of ICU aftercare and adds to its perceived quality. We observed a low prevalence of psychological distress after COVID-19 ICU treatment, and ICU-VR did not improve psychological recovery or quality of life. Future research is needed to confirm our results in other critical illness survivors to potentially facilitate ICU-VR's widespread availability and application during follow-up.
Clinicaltrial: Netherlands Trial Register (trialregister.nl), NL8835, https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/8835.