newbb电子平台 collaborates to provide front-line health care workers with virtual reality simulation to help reduce stress

来自newbb电子平台的研究人员 游戏研究和沉浸式设计(GRID)实验室 和 传统骨科医学院 have collaborated with OhioHealth to offer front-line health care workers in COVID-19 treatment units 宁静的虚拟现实模拟 旨在减少压力.

一项关于他们结果的研究， 发表在PLOS ONE杂志上, describes how creating a tranquil virtual reality (VR) experience set in nature can reduce the stress of health care workers amid the COVID pandemic.

马特·爱, virtual reality production coordinator for the 网格实验室; Carrie Love, 网格实验室 contributor; and Elizabeth Beverly, 骨科传统基金会Ralph S. Licklider, D.O., 行为糖尿病特聘教授, as well as associate professor of primary care at the Heritage College, recognized 在大流行的早期 that working on the front lines had negative impacts on the physical, social and emotional well-being of health care workers. 为了对抗高水平的压力, 焦虑, depression and burnout health care workers were feeling, they created a 宁静的虚拟现实 experience they believed could lower stress among front-line health care workers by immersing them in a tranquil nature scene.

“The 宁静的虚拟现实 offers health care workers a brief respite during their workday,” Beverly explained. “The three-minute experience is designed to provide a few moments of rest and relief, and our research showed that the 宁静的虚拟现实 did just that, lowering the health care workers’ subjective stress levels, 有效尺寸非常大. This tells us that the 宁静的虚拟现实 has very real practical applications for health care workers.”

The 网格实验室 and Beverly partnered with OhioHealth to offer health care workers, 他们是否是直接护理提供者, 间接护理提供者, 或支持或行政服务人员, a chance to participate in the 宁静的虚拟现实 simulation. Beverly oversaw the research portion of the project, 与俄亥俄健康合作设计这项研究, 收集和分析数据, 并准备调查结果以供传播. Meanwhile, the 网格实验室 worked to bring the simulation itself to life.

捕捉体验, 马特·爱 with his 网格实验室 colleagues John Bowditch, 网格实验室主任，副教授, 乔丹·赫伦, 沉浸式媒体制作人, 和南希·史蒂文斯一起工作, distinguished professor of functional morphology and vertebrate paleontology in the Heritage College and director of the 俄亥俄博物馆综合体, 捕捉到一个郁郁葱葱的画面, green nature preserve in southeastern Ohio that is part of the 俄亥俄博物馆综合体. The 网格实验室 was already collaborating on documenting the beauty of the preserve through all four seasons when the idea for the VR was created, so Stevens gave permission for them to use the preserve as the escape to bring to people.

“This project highlights the benefits of creative collaborations among museums, universities and health care organizations to promote the well-being of health care providers,史蒂文斯指出.

One hundred and two medical professionals were given a survey before and after doing the simulation to rate their stress. The results suggest that the application of this 宁静的虚拟现实 simulation was effective in reducing stress among front-line health care workers in the short term.

“We knew 在大流行的早期 that supporting well-being for our providers and associates was critical,” Dr. Laurie Hommema MD, FAAFP, OhioHealth Senior Medical Director, Well-Being said. “This virtual reality pilot 和 partnership with newbb电子平台 served as such a unique way to look at the full menu of offerings as we worked to find options for our teams working so hard to keep our patients 和mselves healthy.  我们受到来自团队的反馈的鼓舞.  他们中的许多人发现，能够逃脱, even for a few minutes from the physical and emotional toll of reality during a pandemic, 和 ability to step into this tranquil virtual space, 会有好处.”

在此之前, 网格实验室项目的重点是教育; however, this was the 网格实验室’s first attempt at leveraging VR content for therapeutic purposes, 特别是压力缓解, and a project entirely different from ones created before.

据贝弗利说, unlike previous projects she’s collaborated on with the 网格实验室, 没有剧本, 没有演员，也没有编造的故事. Instead the project immerses viewers in nature in its purest state. Viewers who participate in the 宁静的虚拟现实 experience are surrounded by only nature and able to hear the sounds of leaves rustling in the wind, 鸟儿啁啾和更多.

“和其他很多人一样, 在大流行的早期, it seemed as if there wasn’t anything that we could do other than stay home and constantly wash our hands,马特·洛夫说. “一旦这个项目开始运作, it felt like we were shifting toward making a meaningful contribution, 做点什么来帮助别人. 感觉就像沧海一粟, 但考虑到我们目前看到的结果, I’m optimistic that it might become something more.”

前进, the 网格实验室 plans to continue collaborating with partners such as the Columbus Zoo and Columbus Symphony Orchestra on simulations that can reduce stress, offering a greater variety of 宁静的虚拟现实 options for participants to experience. 例如, they are currently working on filming the sea lion tunnel at the Columbus Zoo, creating an experience where participants can watch the sea lions swim back and forth as they stand in the tunnel.

“I cannot say enough good things about the 网格实验室,” Beverly added. “The 网格实验室 is the best group of people to collaborate with on campus, 我希望能和他们一起工作30年. OhioHealth has also been an excellent partner in collaborating with us to try this new technology. 和他们的团队一起工作很容易. This project demonstrates how much we can accomplish when we all work together to achieve the same goal.”