Immersive Virtual Reality Experience of Patients with Cancer During Intravenous Antiblastic Therapy: A Qualitative Study

Objectives

To explore the experiences patients with cancer using immersive virtual reality (iVR) during antineoplastic infusion therapy.

Methods

A qualitative descriptive study was nested in a randomized controlled three-arm trial. Semistructured individual interviews were conducted in person at the end of the 30-minute iVR experience, which included 310 scenarios, depicting beaches, animals, submarine environments, and mountains, available in 4K to 8K 360° sphere video. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The transcripts were analyzed using content analysis.

Results

Twenty-four patients participated. Content analysis generated three main categories (cognitive and emotional benefits of iVR, customizable intervention with beautiful images, and negative aspects of iVR), and seven subcategories (enrichment of knowledge and experiences, positive emotions, cognitive engagement, variety of scenarios, quality and beauty of the videos, discomfort with the equipment, negative feelings toward the iVR devices).

Conclusions

The patients’ experience with iVR was positive and enhanced their experience of receiving antineoplastic infusion therapy, with minimal cybersickness.

Implications for Nursing Practice

iVR is an innovative intervention that can be implemented in nursing practice to enhance the humanization of care and foster a patient-centered approach in patients undergoing antineoplastic infusion therapy.