JMIR Serious Games最新文献

{"title":"An Evidence-Based Serious Game App for Public Education on Antibiotic Use and Resistance: Randomized Controlled Trial.","authors":"Zhilian Huang, Jing Teng Ow, Wern Ee Tang, Angela Chow","doi":"10.2196/59848","DOIUrl":"10.2196/59848","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The misuse and overuse of antibiotics accelerate the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Serious games, any form of games that serve a greater purpose other than entertainment, could augment public education above ongoing health promotion efforts. Hence, we developed an evidence-based educational serious game app-SteWARdS Antibiotic Defence-to educate players on good antibiotic use practices and AMR through a game quest comprising 3 minigames and interaction with the nonplayer characters.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the SteWARdS Antibiotic Defence app in improving the knowledge of, attitude toward, and perceptions (KAP) of appropriate antibiotic use and AMR among the public in Singapore.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a 2-arm parallel randomized controlled trial, recruiting visitors aged 18-65 years from 2 polyclinics in Singapore. Intervention group participants had to download the SteWARdS Antibiotic Defence app (available only in English and on the Android platform) on their smartphones and complete the quest in the app. Participants took half a day to 2 weeks to complete the quest. The control group received no intervention. Knowledge questions on antibiotic use and AMR (11 binary questions) were self-administered at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and 6-10 weeks post intervention, while attitudes and perception questions (14 three-point Likert-scale questions) were self-administered at baseline and 6-10 weeks post intervention. We also collected participants' feedback on app usage.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Participants (n=348; intervention: n=142, control: n=206) had a mean age of 36.9 years. Intervention group participants showed a statistically significant improvement in mean knowledge score (effect size: 0.58 [95% CI 0.28-0.87]) compared with controls after accounting for age, educational level, and exposure to advertisements on antibiotics and AMR. Intervention participants also showed a statistically significant improvement in mean attitude-perception scores (effect size: 0.98 (95% CI 0.44-1.52)) after adjusting for marital status and race. A majority of participants agreed that the \"SteWARdS Antibiotic Defence\" app improved their awareness on antibiotic use (135/142, 95.1%) and AMR (136/142, 95.8%). About 73.9% (105/142) of the participants agreed that the app is easy to use, 70.4% (100/142) agreed that the app was enjoyable, and 85.2% (121/142) would recommend the app to others.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our educational serious game app improves participants' KAP on appropriate antibiotic use and AMR. Public education apps should be engaging, educational, easy to use, and have an attractive user interface. Future research should assess the effectiveness of interventions in facilitating long-term knowledge retention and long-lasting behavioral change.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>Clinical","PeriodicalId":14795,"journal":{"name":"JMIR Serious Games","volume":"12 ","pages":"e59848"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11413539/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142132746","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Perceived Barriers and Facilitators Regarding the Implementation of Gamification to Promote Physical Activity in the Neighborhood: Interview Study Among Intermediaries.","authors":"Ayla Schwarz, Kirsten Verkooijen, Emely de Vet, Monique Simons","doi":"10.2196/52991","DOIUrl":"10.2196/52991","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>In the Netherlands, neighborhood sport coaches (NSCs) play an important role as intermediaries in promoting physical activity (PA) in the neighborhood. Gamification is the use of game elements in nongame contexts; it can be implemented with or without technology and holds promise for promoting PA. NSCs infrequently make use of this option.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aims to understand barriers to, and facilitators of, using gamification to promote PA, as perceived by NSCs.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 25 semistructured interviews were conducted with NSCs in the Netherlands. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed by means of thematic analysis using ATLAS.ti (version 22; ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH) software. The deductive coding was informed by the capability, opportunity, motivation, behavior model and the theoretical domains framework, complemented by inductive coding.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Barriers and facilitators identified as factors influencing the implementation of gamification were related to 7 themes. NSCs required technical, creative, and promotion skills; knowledge about existing gamification tools; and social support from their employer and professional network. Financial costs were identified as a barrier to the successful implementation of gamification. Lack of clarity regarding stakeholders' responsibility to implement gamification could further hamper implementation. In general, NSCs were positive about investing time in implementing gamification and expected positive effects from implementing it.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>To overcome identified barriers, a clear overview of tools, best practices, and available subsidies must be created, a gamification network must be established, the responsibility of NSCs must be clarified, and guidance must be offered on the promotion of gamification.</p>","PeriodicalId":14795,"journal":{"name":"JMIR Serious Games","volume":"12 ","pages":"e52991"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11391157/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142080332","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Virtual Reality Serious Game for the Rehabilitation of Hand and Finger Function: Iterative Development and Suitability Study.","authors":"Michael Bressler, Joachim Merk, Tanja Gohlke, Fares Kayali, Adrien Daigeler, Jonas Kolbenschlag, Cosima Prahm","doi":"10.2196/54193","DOIUrl":"10.2196/54193","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Restoring hand and finger function after a traumatic hand injury necessitates a regimen of consistent and conscientious exercise. However, motivation frequently wanes due to unchallenging repetitive tasks or discomfort, causing exercises to be performed carelessly or avoided completely. Introducing gamification to these repetitive tasks can make them more appealing to patients, ultimately increasing their motivation to exercise consistently.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aims to iteratively develop a serious virtual reality game for hand and finger rehabilitation within an appealing and engaging digital environment, encouraging patient motivation for at least 2 weeks of continuous therapy.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The development process comprised 3 distinct stages, each of which was subject to evaluation. Initially, a prototype was created to encompass the game's core functionalities, which was assessed by 18 healthy participants and 7 patients with impaired hand function. Subsequently, version 1 of the game was developed and evaluated with 20 patients who were divided into an investigation group and a control group. On the basis of these findings, version 2 was developed and evaluated with 20 patients who were divided into an investigation group and a control group. Motivation was assessed using the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI), while the application's quality was rated using the Mobile Application Rating Scale and the System Usability Scale. User feedback was gathered using semistructured interviews.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The prototype evaluation confirmed the acceptance and feasibility of the game design. Version 1 significantly increased motivation in 2 IMI subscales, effort (P<.001) and usefulness (P=.02). In version 2, a significant increase in daily performed exercises was achieved (P=.008) compared to version 1, with significantly higher motivation in the IMI subscale effort (P=.02). High Mobile Application Rating Scale scores were obtained for both versions 1 and 2, with version 2 scoring 86.9 on the System Usability Scale, indicating excellent acceptability. User feedback provided by the semistructured interviews was instrumental in the iterative development regarding improvements and the expansion of the playable content.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study presented a virtual reality serious game designed for hand and finger rehabilitation. The game was well received and provided an environment that effectively motivated the users. The iterative development process incorporated user feedback, confirming the game's ease of use and feasibility even for patients with severely limited hand function.</p>","PeriodicalId":14795,"journal":{"name":"JMIR Serious Games","volume":"12 ","pages":"e54193"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11387912/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142072876","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the Psychological Effects and Physical Exertion of Using Different Movement Interactions in Casual Exergames That Promote Active Microbreaks: Quasi-Experimental Study.","authors":"Aseel Berglund, Helena Orädd","doi":"10.2196/55905","DOIUrl":"10.2196/55905","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Prolonged sedentary behavior, such as sitting or reclining, has consistently been identified as a stand-alone risk factor for heightened cardiometabolic risk and overall mortality. Conversely, interrupting sedentary periods by incorporating short, active microbreaks has been shown to mitigate the negative effects of sedentary behavior. Casual exergames, which mix elements of casual gaming with physical activity, are one prospective intervention to reduce sedentary behavior because they require physical exertion. Casual exergames have shown promise in fostering emotional and physical advantages when played in specific circumstances. However, little research exists on how different types of movement interactions impact the psychological effects as well as the physical exertion of playing casual exergames.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The primary aim of this work was to explore the psychological effects and physical exertion of playing casual exergames lasting 2 minutes. More precisely, the investigation focused on comparing upper body and full body movement interactions. In addition, the work examined variations in body positions, considering both standing and seated positions during upper body movement interactions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Two casual exergames were developed and investigated through 2 quasi-experimental studies. In study 1, we investigated how players' perceptions of control, exertion, and immersion were affected by using upper body as opposed to full body exergame controllers when playing casual exergames. In study 2, we investigated differences in positive affect, performance, enjoyment, and exertion when playing casual exergames with upper body movement interactions in seated and standing positions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Study 1 showed that perceived control was significantly higher for upper body movement interactions than for full body movement interactions (P=.04), but there were no significant differences regarding perceived exertion (P=.15) or immersion (P=.66). Study 2 showed that positive affect increased significantly for both standing (P=.003) and seated (P=.001) gameplay. The participants in the standing gameplay group showed slightly higher actual exertion; however, there were no differences between the groups in terms of positive affect, perceived exertion, enjoyment, or performance.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Casual exergames controlled by upper body movement interactions in seated gameplay can produce similar psychological effects and physical exertion as upper body movement interactions in standing gameplay and full body movement interactions. Therefore, upper body and seated casual exergames should not be overlooked as a suitable microbreak activity.</p>","PeriodicalId":14795,"journal":{"name":"JMIR Serious Games","volume":"12 ","pages":"e55905"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11384167/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142072877","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Impact and Acceptance of Gamification by Learners in a Digital Literacy Course at the Undergraduate Level: Randomized Controlled Trial.","authors":"Abeer Alnuaim","doi":"10.2196/52017","DOIUrl":"10.2196/52017","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>In recent years, the integration of technology in education has revolutionized traditional learning paradigms. Digital literacy, a crucial skill in the 21st century, has become a vital aspect of modern education, enabling students to navigate, critically assess, and effectively use digital tools. As educators strive to boost engagement and learning outcomes, gamification has appeared as an auspicious pedagogical approach. By applying game mechanics to nongame contexts, gamification seeks to create a more immersive and digital learning experience.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This research paper aims to investigate the impact and acceptance of gamification by learners in a digital literacy course at the undergraduate level.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In a pre-post intervention study, 168 undergraduate students were randomly assigned either to the experimental group (gamification based) or control group (conventional) learning condition. Both groups of participants learned the same topics in digital literacy.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Empirical findings showed that participants from the experimental group had better academic performance in digital literacy than those who were not exposed to the game-based learning environment. The participants' prior experience with gamification was not found to be a significant predictor of their acceptance of gamification in a digital literacy course.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The study provides evidence supporting the potential benefits of gamification in enhancing digital literacy education and opens the door for further exploration and implementation of gamified learning approaches in higher education settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":14795,"journal":{"name":"JMIR Serious Games","volume":"12 ","pages":"e52017"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11363743/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142035914","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Rationale Behind the Design Decisions in an Augmented Reality Mobile eHealth Exergame to Increase Physical Activity for Inactive Older People With Heart Failure.","authors":"Aseel Berglund, Leonie Klompstra, Helena Orädd, Johan Fallström, Anna Strömberg, Tiny Jaarsma, Erik Berglund","doi":"10.2196/50066","DOIUrl":"10.2196/50066","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Unlabelled: </strong>Physical activity is important for everyone to maintain and improve health, especially for people with chronic diseases. Mobile exergaming has the potential to increase physical activity and to specifically reach people with poor activity levels. However, commercial mobile exergames are not specially designed for older people with chronic illnesses such as heart failure. The primary aim of this viewpoint is to describe the underlying reasoning guiding the design choices made in developing a mobile exergame, Heart Farming, tailored specifically for sedentary older people diagnosed with heart failure. The goal of the exergame is to increase physical activity levels by increasing the daily walking duration of patients with heart failure by at least 10 minutes. The rationale guiding the design decisions of the mobile exergame is grounded in the thoughtful integration of gamification strategies tailored for application in cardiovascular care. This integration is achieved through applying gamification components, gamification elements, and gamification principles. The Heart Farming mobile exergame is about helping a farmer take care of and expand a virtual farm, with these activities taking place while the patient walks in the real world. The exergame can be adapted to individual preferences and physical condition regarding where, how, when, and how much to play and walk. The exergame is developed using augmented reality so it can be played both indoors and outdoors. Augmented reality technology is used to track the patients' movement in the real world and to interpret that movement into events in the exergame rather than to augment the mobile user interface.</p>","PeriodicalId":14795,"journal":{"name":"JMIR Serious Games","volume":"12 ","pages":"e50066"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11382433/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142055619","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Feasibility and Acceptability of a Mobile Game to Support Smoking Cessation: Repeated Measures Study.","authors":"Shelby Goodwin, Jessica A Nastasi, Schyler T Newman, Darion Rapoza, Bethany R Raiff","doi":"10.2196/54684","DOIUrl":"10.2196/54684","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background: &lt;/strong&gt;Approximately half of smokers attempt to quit, but 90% of these attempts fail. Video game-based interventions have the potential to address common barriers to evidence-based smoking cessation treatment, including high cost, lack of health care access, and low engagement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objective: &lt;/strong&gt;The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a video game-based smoking cessation intervention called Inspired and its impact on the 7-day smoking point prevalence at the 30-day follow-up.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;US adults (n=48) were recruited via the web to use Inspired on their smartphones for 7 weeks. The object of the game was to defend a healing tree against attackers. Levels of the game were unlocked twice daily when participants self-reported the number of cigarettes they smoked since the previous entry. Completion of the levels awarded players in-game currency, which could strengthen in-game abilities. Participants received additional in-game rewards to aid gameplay by submitting either smoking self-reports only or self-reports indicating abstinence, determined through random assignment. In addition, participants completed a web-based survey at intake, week 4, week 7, and the 30-day follow-up.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;Of the 48 participants, who had an average age of 39.8 (SD 10.7) years, 27 (56%) were female, 4 (8%) Hispanic, 37 (77%) White, and 27 (56%) employed; 26 (54%) earned &lt;US $40,000 a year; and 14 (29%) lived in nonurban areas (eg, rural and suburban). There were no significant differences between the groups, so all outcome data were combined. Participants averaged 20.6 (SD 15.3) days of gameplay and reached a mean highest game level of 10.7 (SD 8.4), although there was a high degree of variability. Participants reported abstinence on 31.4% (SD 38.2%) of all cessation phase reports and averaged 5.4 (SD 9.8) consecutive abstinent smoke reports. For every 1 SD increase in the highest level achieved, there was a 27% increase in the percentage of abstinent samples and a 405% increase in longest continuous abstinence. At the 30-day follow-up, 23% (11/48) of the participants reported having not taken a cigarette puff in the prior 7 days and 31% (15/48) had spent at least 24 hours without smoking in the prior 14 days. On an 11-point scale, participants rated the intervention moderately favorably: if they had to do it again, they would use Inspired to help them quit (mean 6.4, SD 3.4), and Inspired was helpful in their current attempt to quit (mean 5.4, SD 3.6).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;These results support the acceptability of Inspired. Although high dropout rates prevent conclusions on feasibility, a subset of the participants responded favorably. Scalable and accessible video game-based smoking cessation interventions could be the key to addressing the foremost cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the United States.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;","PeriodicalId":14795,"journal":{"name":"JMIR Serious Games","volume":"12 ","pages":"e54684"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11375377/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142017590","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction: Efficacy of a Virtual 3D Simulation-Based Digital Training Module for Building Dental Technology Students' Long-Term Competency in Removable Partial Denture Design: Prospective Cohort Study.","authors":"KeXin Liu, YaQian Xu, ChaoYi Ma, Na Yu, FaBing Tan, Yi Li, YaXin Bai, XiaoMing Fu, JiaWu Wan, DongQi Fan, HuBin Yin, MeiXi Chen, HongJi Chen, Lin Jiang, JinLin Song, Ping Ji, XiaoHan Zhao, MengWei Pang","doi":"10.2196/63113","DOIUrl":"10.2196/63113","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":14795,"journal":{"name":"JMIR Serious Games","volume":"12 ","pages":"e63113"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11350298/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142017589","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction: Effects of Electronic Serious Games on Older Adults With Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment: Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.","authors":"Xinyi Zuo, Yong Tang, Yifang Chen, Zhimiao Zhou","doi":"10.2196/65184","DOIUrl":"10.2196/65184","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>[This corrects the article DOI: 10.2196/55785.].</p>","PeriodicalId":14795,"journal":{"name":"JMIR Serious Games","volume":"12 ","pages":"e65184"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11358658/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141982363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Immersive Virtual Reality Use in Medical Intensive Care: Mixed Methods Feasibility Study.","authors":"Brian W Locke, Te-Yi Tsai, C Mahony Reategui-Rivera, Aileen S Gabriel, Aref Smiley, Joseph Finkelstein","doi":"10.2196/62842","DOIUrl":"10.2196/62842","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Immersive virtual reality (VR) is a promising therapy to improve the experience of patients with critical illness and may help avoid postdischarge functional impairments. However, the determinants of interest and usability may vary locally and reports of uptake in the literature are variable.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The aim of this mixed methods feasibility study was to assess the acceptability and potential utility of immersive VR in critically ill patients at a single institution.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Adults without delirium who were admitted to 1 of 2 intensive care units were offered the opportunity to participate in 5-15 minutes of immersive VR delivered by a VR headset. Patient vital signs, heart rate variability, mood, and pain were assessed before and after the VR experience. Pre-post comparisons were performed using paired 2-sided t tests. A semistructured interview was administered after the VR experience. Patient descriptions of the experience, issues, and potential uses were summarized with thematic analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the 35 patients offered the chance to participate, 20 (57%) agreed to partake in the immersive VR experience, with no difference in participation rate by age. Improvements were observed in overall mood (mean difference 1.8 points, 95% CI 0.6-3.0; P=.002), anxiety (difference of 1.7 points, 95% CI 0.8-2.7; P=.001), and pain (difference of 1.3 points, 95% CI 0.5-2.1; P=.003) assessed on 1-10 scales. The heart rate changed by a mean of -1.1 (95% CI -0.3 to -1.9; P=.008) beats per minute (bpm) from a baseline of 86.1 (SD 11.8) bpm and heart rate variability, assessed by the stress index (SI), changed by a mean of -5.0 (95% CI -1.5 to -8.5; P=.004) seconds^-2 from a baseline SI of 40.0 (SD 23) seconds^-2. Patients commented on the potential for the therapy to address pain, lessen anxiety, and facilitate calmness. Technical challenges were minimal and there were no adverse effects observed.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Patient acceptance of immersive VR was high in a mostly medical intensive care population with little prior VR experience. Patients commented on the potential of immersive VR to ameliorate cognitive and emotional symptoms. Investigators can consider integrating minimally modified commercial VR headsets into the existing intensive care unit workflow to further assess VR's efficacy for a variety of endpoints.</p>","PeriodicalId":14795,"journal":{"name":"JMIR Serious Games","volume":" ","pages":"e62842"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11344185/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141758768","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}