Evaluating Healthcare Professionals' Satisfaction and Stress Mitigation Using Virtual Reality Intervention in Surgical Ward

Not Applicable

Not yet recruiting

• Conditions: Stress; Stress (Psychology)

• Registration Number: NCT07155681
• Lead Sponsor: Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc

Brief Summary

The goal of this feasibility study is to learn whether a VR intervention is feasible, acceptable, and satisfactory for healthcare workers in surgical wards to help mitigate stress. Secondary objectives include assessing its potential contribution to stress reduction, user comfort, and practical integration into daily workflows.

Participants will take part in a single 10-minute VR intervention session.

Detailed Description

This study investigates the use of the HealthyMind Virtual Reality (VR) application as an innovative intervention to reduce stress among healthcare workers in surgical departments. Although workplace stress is common, there is currently a lack of structured interventions to address it.

The VR application provides healthcare professionals with the opportunity to relax through immersive, calming three-dimensional environments, such as a sunset by the sea or a mountain landscape. The VR headset is paired with an armband that non-invasively measures physiological parameters, including heart rate and heart rate variability. Based on these data, the VR environment automatically adapts to the user's stress level, for example by introducing a guided breathing exercise.

The intervention can be used at any self-selected moment during a shift, with the aim of offering a short and effective recovery break. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and user satisfaction of the VR intervention among healthcare workers. Secondary objectives include assessing its potential contribution to stress reduction, user comfort, and practical integration into daily workflows.

Study Timeline

• Status Verified: 2025-08
• Study First Submitted: 2025-08-17
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-08-26
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-08-26
• Study First Posted: 2025-09-04
• Last Update Posted: 2025-09-04
• Study Start: 2025-11-01
• Primary Completion: 2026-04-01
• Study Completion: 2026-06-01

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 75

Inclusion Criteria

• Volunteering healthcare professionals (≥18 years old) working in direct patient care, such as nurses, residents, physician assistants, and surgeons, on the surgical ward.

Exclusion Criteria

• Diagnosed with epilepsy
• Experienced VR as a trigger for their migraines
• Severe dizziness, nausea or physical disabilities will be excluded.
• Diagnosed with arrythmias, bradycardia or tachycardia
• Not able to wear the VR headset due to physical or psychological conditions

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
AIM-IAM-FIM • Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM), • Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM), • Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM)	Immediately after the VR intervention the scale will be filled in by the participant	Each subscale comprises four elements ranging from 1 (completely disagree) to 5 (completely agree)
User satisfaction	Immediately after the VR intervention	NRS score ranging from 0 (not satisfied) to 10 (very satisfied)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Stress level	immediately before the intervention (pre-intervention) and immediately after the intervention (post-intervention)	NRS score ranging from 0 (not satisfied) to 10 (very satisfied)
CSQ-VR	immediately after the VR intervention	Assessing user comfort with the CyberSickness in Virtual Reality Questionnaire (CSQ-VR). With a likert scale ranging from 1 = absent feeling to 7 = extreme feeling. with higher scores indicating more discomfort
Best organizational fit	At a scheduled moment within 1 month after the intervention	Using a qualitative semi-structured follow-up interview after completing the experience in five participants per center.

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

Rhigshospitalet; 🇩🇰 Copenhagen, Denmark

University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; 🇩🇪 Hamburg, Germany