Perceived value of virtual reality simulations to gain insights into delirium. A pilot study

Abstract

Background Delirium affects one-in-four hospitalized individuals aged 65-years or older, and is associated with serious complications, including post-traumatic stress disorder, prolonged hospitalization, and increased mortality. Healthcare professionals often lack insight into the distress that patients experience; this is known to undermine empathic care and timely detection. Virtual reality (VR) is emerging as a promising tool to enhance empathy and understanding of the patient experience due to its inherent immersive, embodied, and experience-based characteristics.

Objective To pilot and obtain preliminary subjective evidence on the usability, empathic impact, and educa-tional value of a VR simulation grounded in qualitative evidence of patients’ delirium experiences.

Methods 23 university students completed a 7-minute VR delirium simulation and an immediate 42-item survey. This included usability items adapted from the System Usability Scale, items conceptual-ly informed by different validated questionnaires, and study-specific items. Full instruments were not administered to minimize respondent burden and target context-specific elements. Spearman correlations explored response patterns. Open-ended items were summarized descriptively.

Results Twelve of 22 Likert items differed from neutrality (3) after correction. Participants found the simu-lation intuitive (M=4.30, SD=0.70, d=1.86) and its immersive nature engaging (M=4.22, SD=0.74, d=1.65), reporting increased empathy (M=4.39, SD=0.58, d= 2.39), improved understanding of delirium-related emotional distress (M=4.13, SD=0.81, d=1.48) and cognitive distortions (M=4.22, SD=0.60, d=1.81). They endorsed the integration of VR into health education and ex-pressed interest in potential additional features. Qualitative responses highlighted VR’s value for empathy training and to improve doctor-patient communication, while calling for even greater realism and personalization.

Conclusion This pilot study suggests that VR simulations are perceived as effective, engaging tools for en-hancing empathy and insight in delirium-related education and care training.