Virtual reality (VR) is the capability to interact with a digitally replicable environment or object that mimics an actual-world experience for the user. In healthcare settings, the technology is used to improve movement for patients in rehabilitation or to help relax and distract during medical procedures. VR is in the beginning stages of its implementation and use in the clinical setting. This article presents an overview of the challenges and facilitators for the implementation of VR in healthcare settings.
The majority of the barriers found in this study were related to the adopter system and organizational categories of the NASSS framework, particularly the needs of healthcare professionals to be educated and trained on VR, the lack of research and evidence regarding the value of VR in the context of treatment as well as the perceived low self-efficacy and confidence to apply and use VR during the course of patient care. Numerous studies have suggested using techniques for behavioral change, like education and training or intervision groups to aid clinicians in their decision-making processes in relation to VR.
Facilitators were not often recognized for reasons such as the younger patient’s age, which could be more open to technology and feel more comfortable with it or the fact that VR can provide an immersive and interactive learning environment that stimulates the senses and fosters greater understanding of complicated scientific concepts. VR’s ability to recreate real-world environments, such as the surface or structure of atoms, is a powerful educational tool that lets students explore and test abstract and complex ideas.