NCT06250582

Does Virtual Reality Improve Symptom Burden in Dialysis Patients?

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 20 (estimated)
• Sponsor: David Blum · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the use of virtual reality therapy in dialysis patients. The main question it aims to answer is: Does virtual reality improve symptom burden in dialysis patients and improve their mental wellbeing? Over a period of one month, one virtual reality therapy session of 30 minutes will be performed during each regular hemodialysis session. Since we will conduct a monocentric, crossover randomized controlled trial, the participants act as their own control group.

Detailed description

Hemodialysis is a lifesaving therapy for patients with end stage kidney disease but comes with a high burden of physical and emotional symptoms that lower quality of life in dialysis patients. Dialysis mediated complications such as drops in blood pressure, nausea and muscle cramps results in refusal and a negative perception of this treatment. In dialysis patients, treatment-related burden results in deterioration in health related quality of life. During the past few years, Virtual reality (VR) has become more affordable and found its way into households as entertainment electronics but stepwise also into medicine. VR enables the user to view, interact and be immersed in a multisensory 3D virtual world. The aim of the current study is to reduce dialysis-related burden of symptoms by using virtual reality therapy during regular dialysis sessions and thereby improve quality of life among dialysis patients.

Conditions

• Dialysis
• Virtual Reality

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	virtual reality therapy	A virtual reality therapy will be applied for 30 minutes. Patients will be wearing the glasses while lying in bed/chair during their regular dialysis session. Vital signs will be monitored repeatedly. At defined times, patients are asked to answer various questionnaires about their physical and mental health.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-12-02
• Primary completion: 2025-07-31
• Completion: 2025-12-31
• First posted: 2024-02-09
• Last updated: 2025-04-27

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Switzerland