NCT06186960

Tandem VR: Synchronized Nature-Based Experiences in Virtual Reality for Hospice Patients and Their Caregivers

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 26 (actual)
• Sponsor: Prisma Health-Upstate · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Background: Nature-based virtual reality (VR) and other outdoor experiences in head-mounted displays (HMDs) offer powerful, non-pharmacological tools for hospice teams to help patients undergoing end-of-life (EOL) transitions. However, the psychological distress of the patient-caregiver dyad is interconnected and highlights the interdependence and responsiveness to distress as a unit. Hospice care services and healthcare need strategies to help patients and informal caregivers with EOL transitions.

Detailed description

Methods: This study uses a synchronized Tandem VR approach where patient- caregiver dyads experience immersive nature-based and other outdoor VR content. This mixed methods study will recruit 20 patient-caregiver dyads (N = 40) enrolled in home hospice services nearing the end-of-life. Dyads will experience a personalized nature-based or other outdoor VR experience lasting 5-15 minutes. Self-reported questionnaires and semi-structured interviews will be collected before and after the VR intervention to identify the impacts of personalized nature-based and other outdoor Tandem VR experiences on the QOL, pain, and fear of death in patient-caregiver dyads enrolled with hospice services. Additionally, this protocol will determine the acceptance of personalized nature-based and other outdoor Tandem VR experiences by dyads as a non-pharmacological modality for addressing patient and caregiver needs. Acceptance was quantified by the number of dyads accepting or declining the VR experience during recruitment. Discussion: Using personalized, nature-based and other outdoor VR experiences, the patient-caregiver dyads can simultaneously engage in an immersive encounter to help alleviate symptoms associated with declining health and EOL phases for the patient and the often overburdened caregiver. This protocol focuses on meeting the need for person- and caregiver-centered, non-pharmacological interventions to reduce physical, psychological, and spiritual distress.

Conditions

• Hospice
• End of Life
• Palliative Care
• Pain
• Anxiety
• Fear of Death

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Tandem Virtual Reality	Hospice patients and their primary caregiver will each wear virtual reality headsets and will experience a customized and synchronized 5-15min virtual reality experience.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-03-01
• Primary completion: 2024-11-20
• Completion: 2025-04-30
• First posted: 2024-01-02
• Last updated: 2026-04-06
• Results posted: 2026-03-13

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated device study