Rocket VR Health and Penn Medicine have partnered to test the company's virtual reality (VR) headset and immersive meditation program in patients undergoing radiation therapy.
Rocket VR's HTC VIVE Flow VR headset is designed to create an immersive nature environment for patients with the use of mindful meditation. This procedural relaxation and distraction technique aims to transform the preprocedure wait into a calming VR meditation experience.
As part of a feasibility study, 25 patients at Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center will use the headsets prior to receiving daily radiotherapy treatments. Patients will fill out questionnaires before and after their procedures to evaluate their experience, and details on deploying the technology for patients will be assessed.
"Because radiation therapy is challenging when the patient is anxious and unable to lay still, we hope to gauge how well patients can slow their breathing for a more comfortable experience," said Dr. William Levin, an associate professor of radiation oncology at Penn, in a news release.
