du Plessis Jolize, Jordaan Jacques
Department of Psychology, University of the Free State, 205 Nelson Mandela Drive, Park West, Bloemfontein, 9301, South Africa.
Heliyon. 2024 Jan 17;10(2):e24831. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24831. eCollection 2024 Jan 30.
Improving hospitalised patients' psychological well-being (PWB) is relevant to their recovery and overall quality of life. Virtual Reality (VR) holds the potential to emerge as a novel tool for increasing the PWB of hospitalised patients. This study critically reviewed existing research concerning the use and impact of VR on the PWB of hospitalised patients with serious illnesses. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and practical applicability of VR in enhancing the PWB for hospitalised patients dealing with serious illnesses.
In the initial search, the authors identified 106 sources that provided valuable insights into the broader field of VR, PWB, and the influence of VR on the psychological functioning of hospitalised patients. However, only eight articles were selected for the critical review, following the SALSA method. The SALSA method comprises the following steps: (S) Search, (AL) Appraisal, (S) Synthesis and (A) Analysis. Data extracted from these eight articles were subjected to reflexive thematic analysis, through which patterns were identified to examine the use and impact of VR on the PWB of hospitalised patients with serious illnesses. The thematic analysis process involves data gathering and familiarisation, code identification, and formulating and refining various themes to produce a thematic analysis report.
The themes that emerged from the analysis were (i) positive psychological effects (with sub-themes including the effectiveness of VR in improving psychological symptoms, its role as an equivalent or adjunctive treatment, and symptom reduction), (ii) perceptions and the adoption of novel technology, (iii) characteristics that influence the effectiveness of VR, and (iv) statistical and practical applicability and diversity of VR.
The use of VR to increase the PWB of hospitalised patients is a relatively recent innovation. Nevertheless, the themes identified in this study indicate that the use of VR within the context of hospitalised patients can benefit their psychological functioning, ultimately contributing to an improvement in their overall PWB. Further in-depth studies are needed to provide a comprehensive conclusion on the potential benefits of VR on the PWB of hospitalised patients dealing with serious illnesses.
改善住院患者的心理健康状况（PWB）与他们的康复及整体生活质量相关。虚拟现实（VR）有潜力成为提高住院患者心理健康水平的一种新型工具。本研究对关于VR在患有严重疾病的住院患者心理健康方面的应用及影响的现有研究进行了批判性综述。本研究的主要目的是评估VR在增强患有严重疾病的住院患者心理健康方面的疗效和实际适用性。
在初步检索中，作者识别出106个来源，这些来源为VR、心理健康状况以及VR对住院患者心理功能的影响这一更广泛领域提供了有价值的见解。然而，按照SALSA方法，仅选取了八篇文章进行批判性综述。SALSA方法包括以下步骤：（S）检索、（AL）评估、（S）综合和（A）分析。从这八篇文章中提取的数据进行了反思性主题分析，通过该分析确定模式，以研究VR在患有严重疾病的住院患者心理健康方面的应用及影响。主题分析过程包括数据收集与熟悉、代码识别以及制定和完善各种主题以生成主题分析报告。
分析得出的主题包括：（i）积极的心理影响（子主题包括VR在改善心理症状方面的有效性、其作为等效或辅助治疗的作用以及症状减轻），（ii）对新技术的认知与采用，（iii）影响VR有效性的特征，以及（iv）VR的统计学和实际适用性及多样性。
使用VR来提高住院患者的心理健康水平是一项相对较新的创新。尽管如此，本研究中确定的主题表明，在住院患者背景下使用VR可有益于他们的心理功能，最终有助于改善他们的整体心理健康状况。需要进一步深入研究，以全面总结VR对患有严重疾病的住院患者心理健康的潜在益处。
