Virtual reality (VR) is the capability to interact with a space or object digitally reproduced to simulate the real-world environment. The technology is often applied in healthcare settings to aid movement in rehabilitation patients or to offer the ability to relax and distract during medical procedures. However, VR is still in its early stages of adoption and use within the practice of clinical medicine. In this article, we offer a scoping review of the existing literature, identifying barriers and facilitators to the implementation of VR in healthcare settings.
The majority of the barriers that were identified in this study are related to the adoption system and organization categories of the NASSS framework, specifically the requirements of healthcare professionals for education and training in VR, the absence of research and evidence about the value of VR in the treatment context as well as the perceived low self-efficacy and confidence to apply and utilize VR during patient care. A number of studies suggested the use of http://www.iptech.one/what-is-a-virtual-data-room/ behavioral change methods like education and training or intervision groups to support clinicians in their decision making process in relation to VR use.
Facilitators were less frequently identified due to the age of patients who might be more open to the new technology and more comfortable with it. The fact that VR offers an immersive and interactive environment which stimulates the senses and promotes a deeper understanding of complex scientific ideas. Moreover, the ability of VR to recreate real-world environments, such as the planet’s surface or the structure of atoms makes it a useful educational tool that allows students to explore and experiment with complicated and abstract ideas that might be difficult to comprehend in traditional classroom settings.
