Virtual/augmented reality in healthcare

Centre for Health Technology
Elderly lady using virtual reality
VR is increasingly used in healthcare as an educational tool. Hardware limitations of headsets have raised questions about the practicality of prolonged use by vulnerable or frail patients, though recent advances in mobile-based light-weight headsets have been shown to be feasible to deploy in challenging healthcare settings. There are now plausible studies demonstrating the potential value of VR in supporting a range of physical, mental, or psychosocial health outcomes, including pain management, cognition and depression.
The CHT has strong capabilities in the development and application of virtual, augmented and immersive reality technologies, from design and software development to implementation and clinician/patient/public experience of using such technologies.

Our projects

 

Exploring VR spaces

Using virtual reality scans to bring heritage sites alive: This video gives a brief explanation of how our GOALD project worked with the University of Plymouth School of Art, Design and Architecture to create virtual reality spaces for our participants to explore.
The Development of Possible VR Environments for VR Walking in Care Homes: Recorded as part of our GOALD project’s talks series, Dr Robert Stone, Emeritus Professor at the University of Birmingham describes the potential scope of VR for use by care home residents.

Opening new horizons with the GOALD project

"At 92, I 'kayaked' across the Antarctic – for a virtual-reality research project". Published by The Guardian, read Fred’s account of taking part in research to create digital products that help older people stay active and healthier for longer.
Elderly person in wheelchair exercising using a virtual reality (VR) headset
 
 
 
 

Publications

2022

Almasi S, Ahmadi H, Asadi F, Shahmoradi L, Arji G, Alizadeh M, Kolivand H (2022). Kinect-Based Rehabilitation Systems for Stroke Patients: A Scoping Review. Biomed Res Int. 2022 Mar 27;2022:4339054. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/4339054

2021

Baptie G, Andrade J, Bacon A & Norman A (2021). Virtually renovating the Trauma Film Paradigm: Comparing virtual reality with on-screen presentation of an analogue trauma. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace 15, (1). https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2021-1-6
Dalton, J., Craven, M.P., Gómez Bergin, A., Peres, N., et al. (2021). The Growing Value of XR in Healthcare in the United Kingdom. Technical Report. Full-text available https://www.xrhealthuk.org/the-growing-value-of-xr-in-healthcare. https://www.xrhealthuk.org/the-growing-value-of-xr-in-healthcare
Mason, T., & Peres, N. (2021). 1171 Remote 360 Virtual Simulation: Can You ‘Do Sim’ Completely Online? Conference Paper. Oct 2021. Archives of Disease in Childhood 106. http://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2021-rcpch.449
Mehesz E, Karoui H, Strutton PH, Hughes SW (2021) Exposure to an Immersive Virtual Reality Environment can Modulate Perceptual Correlates of Endogenous Analgesia and Central Sensitization in Healthy Volunteers. The Journal of Pain Vol.22 Iss.6 10.1016/j.jpain.2020.12.007. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2020.12.007
Newman M, Gatersleben B, Wyles KJ & Ratcliffe E. (2021). The use of virtual reality in environment experiences and the importance of realism. Journal of Environmental Psychology Vol.79 10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101733. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101733
Shahmoradi L, Almasi S, Ahmadi H, Bashiri A, Azadi T, Mirbagherie A, Ansari NN, Honarpishe R. (2021). Virtual reality games for rehabilitation of upper extremities in stroke patients. J Bodyw Mov Ther.26:113-122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2020.10.006
Terbeck S, Charlesford J, Clemans H, Pope E, Lee A, Turner J, Gummerum M, Bussmann B (2021) Physical Presence during Moral Action in Immersive Virtual Reality. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol.18 Iss.15 10.3390/ijerph18158039. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18158039
Varga, M.N., Merrison-Hort, R., Watson, P. et al. Tadpole VR: virtual reality visualization of a simulated tadpole spinal cord. Virtual Reality 25, 1–17 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-020-00431-z

2020

Baxter R, Smith A (2020) Searching for individual determinants of probabilistic cueing in large-scale immersive virtual environments. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology 10.1177/1747021820969148. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747021820969148