Nuccetelli Fabiana, Gabellone Valeria, Lopalco Pier Luigi
Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy.
J Prev Med Hyg. 2025 May 31;66(1):E61-E66. doi: 10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2025.66.1.3498. eCollection 2025 Mar.
Virtual Reality (VR) is a technology that enables the creation of immersive, interactive, and collaborative environments, with extensive applications in the realm of e-Health.
This study aimed to reduce stress and anxiety in hospitalised patients by employing guided virtual scenarios and non-invasive biosensors.
During the initial experimental phase, conducted on 33 patients in a cardiac rehabilitation ward, improvements were observed in stress levels (-11.3%), depression (-4.2%), and anxiety (-3.2%). Supporting these results, a specific clinical case analysis revealed significant improvements in an 82-year-old woman with moderate depression and severe social isolation. Following the VR intervention, the patient experienced a substantial reduction in isolation, heightened motivation for daily activities, and enhanced social interaction quality, with a 35% increase in perceived quality of life. Physiological improvements included reduced sympathetic nervous system arousal and greater heart rate variability stability.
These findings underscore VR's potential to promote psychophysical wellbeing and improve healthcare service quality, advocating innovative preventive and therapeutic methods.
虚拟现实（VR）是一种能够创建沉浸式、交互式和协作式环境的技术，在电子健康领域有广泛应用。
本研究旨在通过采用引导式虚拟场景和非侵入性生物传感器来减轻住院患者的压力和焦虑。
在心脏康复病房对33名患者进行的初始实验阶段，观察到压力水平（-11.3%）、抑郁（-4.2%）和焦虑（-3.2%）有所改善。支持这些结果的是，一项具体的临床病例分析显示，一名患有中度抑郁和严重社交隔离的82岁女性有显著改善。在VR干预后，患者的隔离感大幅降低，日常活动的动力增强，社交互动质量提高，生活质量感知提高了35%。生理改善包括交感神经系统唤醒减少和心率变异性稳定性增强。
这些发现强调了VR在促进身心健康和提高医疗服务质量方面的潜力，倡导创新的预防和治疗方法。
