Virtual Reality for the Attenuation of Pain and Anxiety

The Virtual Reality Medical Center and nonprofit affiliate, Interactive Media Institute, recently published the article, “Using Virtual Reality to Mobilize Health Care: Mobile Virtual Reality Technology for Attenuation of Anxiety and Pain” in the January Issue of IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine. The article summarizes the use of virtual reality as a tool for pain distraction and stress reduction in patients. This tool has been used to treat phobias, stress disorders, distract from surgical pain, and help overcome chronic pain. As a mobile healthcare platform, virtual reality and related technologies are changing the face of healthcare services by increasing access, efficiency, and effectiveness.

For the full text, please visit: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8197481/

Please direct any questions regarding this article to Dr. Brenda K. Wiederhold at frontoffice@vrphobia.com

 

 

Gender Differences in Virtual Reality Surgical Pain Distraction

Researchers from Belgium, Italy, Mexico, and California (USA) recently published a report comparing gender differences in virtual reality pain distraction following cardiac surgery. This international team from previous compared patients’ physiological and subjective responses based on gender. Very few studies have examined gender differences in physiological responses to VR. This study suggests that VR is an effective medium to reduce stress and anxiety in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The researchers are interested in continued investigation and are working toward making this intervention more effective, less expensive and available across platforms to include mobile healthcare and behavioral health.

For information on this study, please contact the corresponding author, Brenda K. Wiederhold (frontoffice@vrphobia.com).

To access the full text: http://www.alliedacademies.org/articles/study-of-gender-differences-in-vr-response-following-cardiac-surgery-6922.html

Mosso JL, Wiederhold BK, La Paglia F, Guarino D, La Barbera D, Mosso Jr JL, Miller I, Wiederhold MD. Study of gender differences in VR response following cardiac surgery. Journal of Psychology and Cognition. 2017;2(1). http://www.alliedacademies.org/articles/study-of-gender-differences-in-vr-response-following-cardiac-surgery-6922.html

Checking email less frequently reduces stress

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Checking email less frequently reduces stress, according to psychologists at the University of British Columbia.

They instructed half of the study’s 124 adults, including students, financial analysts and medical professionals, to limit checking their email to three times daily for a week, while telling the other half to check email as often as they did before the study. Then the researchers reversed the instructions for the two groups during a subsequent week. The researchers found that during the limited email use week, participants experienced significantly lower daily stress than during the unlimited email use week. Lower stress, in turn, predicted higher well-being on a diverse range of well-being outcomes. These findings highlight the benefits of checking email less frequently for reducing psychological stress.

You can read the full research on Computer in Human Behavior book.