VR trials seek to ease pain without drugs

Cedars Sinai Medical Center is to use virtual reality in its Spine Centre, as a way of reducing patients' pain without using drugs. The hospital is using technology from AppliedVR in a product called Pain RelieVR which offers immersive VR games to divert patient's attention away from their procedure or recovery. Brennan M. Spiegel, MD, a director at the hospital, describes virtual reality as "dreaming with your eyes open." Cedars-Sinai invested in AppliedVR through its TechStars healthcare accelerator, whose products were developed in conjunction with the hospital. The Orthopaedic Centre has received a small initial roll-out of the technology, with other areas being added next month.

Cedars Sinai Medical Center will begin to use virtual reality technology from Applied VR, in hopes of easing patients' pain with without use of drugs. Hospital executives say it will introduce VR content first in its Spine Center.

Cedars-Sinai is among the first hospitals to employ scalable VR technology. It invested in AppliedVR via its TechStars healthcare accelerator. AppliedVR’s developed its main products in partnership with Cedars-Sinai.

The first product suite, Pain RelieVR, offers immersive VR games that divert the patient's focus away from the procedure or recovery process.

As an example, Guided Relaxation, which was developed with psychologists and leading academics, is used to help transport a patient from the medical environment to a peaceful scenic place, to relax and learn mindfulness and acceptance-based techniques. It is designed to help the patient manage stress and anxiety.

"VR is entering an 'age of utilization' in healthcare, with hospitals and surgery centers seeking new ways to increase patient satisfaction, better manage pain, and reduce hospital stays, Matthew Stoudt, AppliedVR, co-founder and CEO, said in a statement.

[Also: Cedars-Sinai deploys HomeHero's Apple CareKit app for care transitions]

"AppliedVR is an extremely valuable option for healthcare providers seeking to enhance the patient experience and positively impact patient outcomes," Richard B. Jacobs, executive vice president and chief strategy officer at Cedars-Sinai, added.

Brennan M. Spiegel, MD, director of Health Services Research in Academic Affairs and Clinical Transformation at Cedars-Sinai, describes virtual reality as similar to "dreaming with your eyes open." It helps patients reduce pain without medications or drugs.

AppliedVR has begun a limited roll out of the technology in the Orthopaedic Center with the remaining areas scheduled to come onboard next month.

Twitter: @Bernie_HITN

Email the writer: bernie.monegain@himssmedia.com

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