Schneider, S. M., & Hood, L. E. (2007). Virtual reality: a distraction intervention for chemotherapy. Oncology Nursing Forum, 34, 39–46.

Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-simulated technique during which individuals wear a head-mounted device and become immersed in scenarios through visual and auditory stimuli that they manipulate. Patients wore a VR headset during an intravenous (IV) chemotherapy treatment and chose from the following scenarios:

1. Deep sea diving
2. Walking through an art museum
3. Exploring ancient worlds
4. Solving a mystery.

Each scenario was long enough to last the entire length of the chemotherapy infusion (45–90 minutes). Patients were free to change scenarios at any time. During the control and VR conditions, patients sat in a reclining treatment chair. In the control condition, patients were free to participate in any activities they chose during treatment, such as watching television, talking with others, or reading. Patients were randomly assigned to receive the VR distraction intervention during one chemotherapy treatment and to receive the control (no intervention) during an alternate matched chemotherapy treatment. Outcomes were assessed at baseline (T1), immediately after chemotherapy (T2), and 48 hours postchemotherapy (T3).

• The sample was comprised of 123 adults receiving initial chemotherapy treatments.
• Mean age was 53.97 years (range 32–78).
• The majority of the patients were female (77%) and Caucasian (91%), and about half had a diagnosis of breast cancer (52%).
• Patients were excluded if they were younger 18 years, non-English speaking, had evidence of primary or metastatic disease to the brain, or had a history of motion sickness or seizures.

Outpatient clinic at a comprehensive cancer center in southeastern United States

Patients were undergoing the active treatment phase of care.

The study used a randomized, crossover, within-subjects design with a:

1. VR distraction intervention
2. Control.

Revised Piper Fatigue Scale (PFS)

The VR intervention did not improve fatigue outcomes. Although the treatment group experienced a greater decline than the control from T1 to T2, the difference did not reach statistical significance.

• The intervention was only used once with each patient, and determining whether patients had enough exposure to VR to produce an effect on symptoms was not possible.
• In some cases, a stronger “dosage” of VR may be needed.
• The study was conducted at a single site, and the the study population was homogenous.
• The study lacked standardized measures to capture satisfaction with VR use during chemotherapy treatment.