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Virtual Leisure - Virtual Reality Delivered Recreation at a Closed Psychiatric Ward

NCT05654740 · Status: UNKNOWN · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 124

Last updated 2023-05-03

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Background: The environment at a psychiatric in-patient ward can lead to emotional distress and behavioral deviations in vulnerable individuals potentially resulting in conflicts, increased use of need-based medication and coercive actions, along with low satisfaction with treatment. To accommodate these challenges recreational and entertaining interventions are generally recommended. The tested interventions have, however, shown varying effects and often demand a high degree of planning and staff involvement while also being difficult to adapt to individual needs. Virtual Reality (VR) may help overcome these challenges.

Methods: The study is a clinical trial, employing a mixed-methods design, enrolling 124 patients hospitalized at one closed psychiatric ward in the capital region of Denmark. All patients will be offered VR based stress reduction (e.g., mindfulness/relaxation techniques), entertainment, and distraction regularly during their hospitalization. Feasibility and acceptability will be explored with qualitative interviews supplemented with repeated non-participants observations and focus groups. The effect of the intervention will be assessed by comparing quantitative outcomes (e.g., coercion, need-based medication, and perceived stress) for a 12-month period with VR experiences available to a 12-month period without VR experiences available.

Discussion: It is of significant interest to find non-intrusive interventions with minimal side-effects that may provide an alternative to pharmacological interventions and coercive actions in mental health services. If the VR intervention is found to be feasible and acceptable a larger study can be initiated and if found to be effective in a psychiatric in-patient setting, it can be scaled for use in psychiatric treatment facilities in general where it may benefit a large group of patients.

Conditions

  • Psychiatric Hospitalization

Interventions

DEVICE

Virtual Reality Experiences

Virtual Reality experiences including stress reduction, distraction and entertainment

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Mental Health Services in the Capital Region, Denmark

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Lars Clemmensen, PhD · Psykiatrisk Center København

Study Design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
SEQUENTIAL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
100 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2023-01-01
Primary Completion
2024-12-31
Completion
2024-12-31

Countries

  • Denmark

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT05654740 on ClinicalTrials.gov