Effect of Virtual Reality- Based Rehabilitation Program Versus Booklet-Based Education on Self-Care Practices and Prevention of Complications among Women after Mastectomy

Background: Breast cancer is a common malignancy among women worldwide. With an estimated 2.1 million new cases being diagnosed each year and accounting for 24.2% of all cancer diagnoses among women, it is the most frequent disease in women. Virtual reality-based rehabilitation (VRBR) is a relatively new method that might make it easier to simulate doing functional tasks than conventional rehabilitation. The aim of the study was to compare the effect of Virtual Reality-based rehabilitation program versus booklet-based education on self-care practices and prevention of complications among women after modified radical mastectomy. Design: A quasi-experimental (Case-Control) research design was used to carry out this study. Setting: The study was conducted at Damanhour oncology center in El-Beheira governorate. Sample: A convenient sample of 100 female patients was included in the study. Tools of data collection: Three tools were used for data collection Tool I: Socio-Demographic characteristics and Health Profile Structured Interview questionnaire. Tool II: Self-care practices of modified radical mastectomy structured interview schedule. Tool III: Early post modified radical mastectomy complications checklist. Result: Virtual reality group has higher mean scores than the booklet group in relation to all the studied dimensions as well as the total score of the self-care practices. The differences are statistically significant in all studied items (P= 0.000), except for some items such as follow-up (P=0.305), pain management (P=0.051), skin care (P=0.722) and proper nutrition (P=0.794). Conclusion: According to the findings of the current study it can be concluded that virtual reality-based rehabilitation program is more effective than booklet-based rehabilitation program in improving self-care practices and prevention of complications among women after mastectomy. Recommendation: The application of virtual reality-based rehabilitation programs after mastectomy should be incorporated into the daily care of post-mastectomy women in oncology centers and hospitals.