Virtual Reality in hospice care

Project overview

The Living Well Centre at John Eastwood Hospice wanted to explore digital ways of delivering care, and offer more up-to-date services for patients and carers. As part of this, they introduced Virtual Reality (VR) into their clinical work within the inpatient unit (IPU) and day services.

The hospice purchased two VR headsets, which are designed for medical use and are pre-loaded with a range of 360 degree experiences. Patients can immerse themselves into VR clips with a range of experiences including seeing the northern lights, touring the Grand Canyon, visiting Venice and even diving under an oil rig! The experiences last from around a minute and a half to 17 minutes (it is also possible to play them on a loop).

Patients can also use VR for guided meditation/relaxation exercises. The headsets have noise-cancelling headphones, which are ideal for a busy hospice environment.

Outcomes

John Eastwood Hospice has mainly used VR for relaxation and pain management within the IPU and day services. Patients and carers who have used the headsets have given positive feedback stating that VR has helped them to feel “more calm and relaxed”.

One patient in particular had severe pressure sores and needed pain relief medication every time their dressings were changed. They began using VR to help them relax while staff changed their dressings. After a while, they were able to reduce the medication they needed – and eventually did not need any extra pain relief during the procedure.

Key facilitators

The COVID-19 pandemic acted as a catalyst for John Eastwood to think about how they could revise and modernise their services. 

The headsets were funded by the charity that supports the hospice. John Eastwood was able to negotiate a good deal from a specialist company.

The VR technology is easy to use and staff have all been trained. The hospice has identified two Champions to support and encourage VR use.

The headsets are kept in a locked cupboard, but all staff members have the code to access them. This means patients can use VR in the middle of the night if they are in pain or having trouble sleeping.

VR can be used in any position (lying down, standing or sitting in a chair). This makes it very accessible for hospice patients.

Challenges

The VR headsets do not need to be connected to the internet, but if staff want to use them alongside tablets, this does require a web connection. This can cause some issues as the WiFi in some areas of the hospice can be patchy.

Some people have found the voices on the VR relaxation programmes ‘robotic’, which initially put  them off. However they soon seem to get used to this and enjoy the benefits of the experience.

A Clinical Psychology Doctoral Trainee at John Eastwood Hospice will be implementing a research project over the next year to examine the impact of VR upon the physical and psychological health of terminally ill patients and their overall wellbeing.