TP3.0: How can virtual reality enrich practical teaching?

A 13-year-old boy presented with an 8-year history of recurrent facial dermatitis. He had a history of atopic eczema and had developed intermittent swelling, redness and scaling of the face for several years, initially thought to be related to sunscreen exposure but more recently associated with prolonged time wearing his virtual reality (VR) headset. The distribution of the rash over the cheeks coincided with areas in contact with the headset rubber foam padding. Patch testing to the British Society for Cutaneous Allergy standard series, facial series, photoallergen series and a sample from the headset foam showed positive reactions to carba mix 3% (day 2+, day 4++), methylchloroisothiazolinone with methylisothiazolinone (MCI/MI) 0.02% (day 2+, day 4+), methylisothiazolinone (MI) 0.2% (day 2+, day 4+), 2-bromo-2-nitropropane 0.5% (day 2+, day 4+), methyldibromoglutaronitrile 0.3% (day 2−, day 4+), benzisothiazolinone 0.1% (day 2+, day 4+), propolis (day 2−, day 4+) and the patient’s own VR headset sample as is (day 2+, day 4+). Carba mix was felt to be relevant to the sponge rubber headset padding, which was also positive on testing. 2-Bromo-2-nitropropane was of current relevance to use of a facial ‘cooling spray’ containing this preservative. The other reactions were of unknown relevance. Avoidance of the headset led to complete resolution of symptoms. The VR company has since provided a cover for the padding, which has allowed our patient to wear the device without flaring his skin. The UK has one of Europe’s largest gaming markets, with projections indicating a surge in video game users from 51.2 million in 2023 to an estimated 57.6 million by 2027. Approximately 56% of the UK population engages in gaming, with most notably the demographic aged 16–24 years reporting 88% engagement in video games, and 68% of individuals aged 7–18 years owning gaming consoles. VR headsets are currently utilized by only 1% of children aged 3–15 years, hindered by the substantial price tag of £1420 for some VR headsets. However, the availability of more affordable alternatives will drive increased usage. Virtual meetings and working from home are becoming commonplace, widening potential exposure to VR headsets in the workplace. Gaming controllers are reported to cause ACD, as well as ‘PlayStation thumb’, with desquamation, lichenified hyperkeratotic papules and fissures on the lateral aspect of the thumbs. PlayStation palmar hidradenitis manifests with discrete, erythematous, tender nodules over the finger pulps and the palmar aspects of both hands, caused by repeated trauma while gaming. To our knowledge, ACD caused by a VR headset has not been previously reported. We would like to highlight this potential new source of ACD to the gaming and wider working population.

Extended-Reality Technologies: An Overview of Emerging Applications in Medical Education and Clinical Care.

Background The aim of this study was to investigate whether the presence of a teacher affects learning related outcomes in teaching basic surgical tasks with a Virtual Reality (VR) headset. Methods 26 fourth-year medical studentsparticipated in a voluntary exercise. Students practiced basic surgical procedure exercises using the VR4HEALTHCARE application in VR with OCULUS Rift S glasses. 12 students performed the exercises under the guidance of a teacher and 14 without the teacher present. After the exercise, the groups filled out a feedback form. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0 software using the Mann-Whitney U test and multivariate analysis of variance. Results The most important data collected related to whether the student learned something new and whether VR adds value to medical education. Ratings were based on a scale of 0–10 (0 = worst, 10 = best). When the teacher was present, on average, the students felt that they were learning something new and gave an average rating of 7.8 ± 1.8, and when the teacher was not present 5.3 ± 2.6 (p = 0.003). VR added value to teaching with a rating of 7.8 ± 1.7 when the teacher was present and 5.5 ± 3.0 when not present (p = 0.045). This study also analyzed specific use of VR for abscess incision, suturing and insertion of a suprapubic catheter. Discussion When a teacher was present VR added value to teaching and the usefulness and usability of VR was experienced more positively. The student should also have adequate knowledge of the subject to be taught before VR training. Conclusions VR adds value to teaching, but VR exercises may not completely replace high-quality traditional teaching methods. Consequently, it is important to determine the differences between VR and traditional teaching methods and how to combine these methods in the future.

The Reality of Virtual Reality in Echocardiography Education?

Growing research has found that exposing patients to forest landscapes through technology improves their health. However, studies on the effects of nature therapy sessions on particularly vulnerable groups that require frequent regular treatment such as patients of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is lacking. This study aims to understand the effects of watching panoramic videos of forest walks through virtual reality (VR) headsets on patients. We also examine the effects of the frequency of virtual exposure to forests on the physiological and psychological parameters of patients undergoing dialysis. Twenty-four dialysis patients with a mean age of 65.11 year underwent a virtual nature intervention over the course of 3 weeks. The intervention consists of 3 numbers of 6-min 360-degree nature videos delivered using VR headsets. We measured heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate (HR) using continuous electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring and assessed their emotional states using a questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews. The results showed that the initial 6 min of watching of the panoramic videos through VR headsets resulted in significantly reduced HR and sympathetic nerve activity and increased positive emotional responses. However, repeated VR exposure did not further improve the physiological health of the respondents. Considering these results, the use of VR headsets to watch 6-min nature videos indoors can be used to enhance the positive psychological responses among dialysis and bed-ridden patients. As this study is preliminary, future random controlled trials are needed to compare and determine the best dose, content, and delivery methods of such an intervention.

<h3>Background</h3> Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated world that can make you feel like you are there, immersing you in environments like a beach or a city. Evidence suggests that VR may help people with incurable illnesses by reducing symptoms like pain and enhancing well-being (Lloyd, Haraldsdottir. BMJ Support Palliat Care. 2021;11(3):344–50; Mo, Vickerstaff, Minton, et al. Palliat Med. 2022;36(7):1047–58). More hospices are using VR with patients alongside the personalised care they already provide. However, little is known about how many hospices use VR or how it is perceived by staff. <h3>Aim</h3> To understand how many hospices use VR and how hospice staff feel about this technology. <h3>Method</h3> An online survey was sent to adult, independent hospices in the UK (N=186). The survey was open between October 2024 and June 2025. Hospices were contacted by email and phone. Only one response per hospice was permitted, and questions were open and closed-ended. Ethical approval was given by UCL (26971/001). <h3>Results</h3> As of May 2025, 60 hospices (32%) responded to the survey. Of these, 31 (52%) did not own a VR headset. The main barriers to purchasing VR included a lack of funding (40%), high equipment costs (33%), and insufficient resources to implement (27%). Among the hospices that owned VR headsets, 17 (28%) did not use them, citing a lack of training and limited capacity. Hospices that used VR employed it to address various symptoms, including boredom (62%), anxiety (52%), and chronic pain (31%). Staff viewed VR as a novel tool for enabling patients to experience activities they can no longer do, but had concerns about cost and sustainability. <h3>Conclusions</h3> These findings provide early insights into staff attitudes towards VR in hospices, including potential benefits of VR and staff concerns about its implementation. This information will help hospices decide whether using VR with patients is appropriate.

This review assesses the risk of a photic-induced seizure in a child during viewing of 3D (binocular 3 dimensional, stereoscopic) movies or games, either on standard video displays or when wearing a virtual reality (VR) headset. Studies published by pediatric epilepsy experts emphasize the low risk of 3D viewing even for children with known photosensitive epilepsy (PSE). The low incidence of PSE is noteworthy because the number of hours devoted to 2D or 3D screen viewing and/or VR headset use by children worldwide has increased markedly over the last decade. The medical literature does not support the notion that VR headset use poses a risk for PSE.

One of the main difficulties in teleoperated systems is providing an operator with sufficient Situational Awareness (SA). This paper introduces three open-source packages that improve the operator's SA using the Robot Operating System (ROS). The first package-rviz_textured_sphere-allows rendering panospheric camera outputs as spherical images in the ROS visualization software RViz. A system where the visualization of this spherical data using an open-source virtual reality (OSVR) headset in the ROS framework is achieved with the second package: rviz_plugin_osvr. Finally, the third package-pointcloud_painter-projects spherical data onto a 3D depth cloud scan of the scene generated from a rotating lidar. This package outputs a XYZRGB pointcloud that can be visualized either in RViz or using the virtual reality headset. Together, these technologies address the wider issue of limited SA in robotics and represent a substantial advancement in the environment visualization capabilities available to open-source robotics developers.

The article considers the possibility of using virtual and mixed reality in studying the geometry of the crystal lattice in the framework of the course of solid state physics. The application of mixed and virtual reality technologies in the study of various branches of physics is receiving more and more attention. Virtual reality headsets were used in practical and laboratory classes, where students had to create crystal structures and carry out modeling of various processes. When studying complex spatial objects of crystallography, virtual reality technology allowed students to familiarize themselves with the object of study in more detail, understand the structure of crystals and, accordingly, complete the task in a timely manner. At the same time, the prolonged use of virtual reality headsets led to rapid fatigue of students.

Virtual Reality (VR) technology has rapidly evolved in recent years, offering immersive experiences that transcend traditional boundaries of entertainment, education, training, healthcare, and various other sectors. At the heart of this technological revolution lies the VR headset, a device that serves as the gateway to virtual worlds. The user satisfaction with VR headsets is a critical aspect that significantly impacts the adoption, acceptance, and success of VR technology as a whole. This dissertation aims to delve deep into understanding the factors influencing user satisfaction with VR headsets, drawing insights from existing literature and empirical studies. By examining the hardware specifications, software content, comfort, usability, and overall experience of VR headsets, this dissertation seeks to contribute to the enhancement of VR technology and user experience.

Regional anaesthesia is a gold standard in upper limb orthopaedic surgery. Carried out on an awake patient, it can be a source of anxiety. In recent years, hypnotic techniques have been proposed in the management of perioperative anxiety. Among them, virtual reality is increasingly used as a distraction tool during anxious or painful actions despite the scarcity of proof of its benefit in the literature. Before implementing the systematic use of virtual reality when performing regional anaesthesia in our institution, we designed a study hypothesizing that the use of a virtual reality headset when performing an axillary block would reduce patient's anxiety.The study is an investigator-initiated, prospective monocentric and observational trial comparing anxiety scores of patients who underwent upper limb surgery under an axillary block with or without virtual reality headset. The perioperative anxiety was assessed by a numerical range scale before and after the peripheral nerve block performance.Between June 2021 and June 2022, 99 patients were included: 53 wearing the virtual reality headset and 46 not. The difference in numerical range scale for anxiety before and after the axillary block performance did not differ in the virtual reality group compared to the group without headset (mean = -1.9 ± 2.5 vs -1.5 ± 2.0, (p = 0.2520)). Technical difficulties reported by the operators were similar in both groups.Despite the large number of patients included, the virtual reality headset did not reduce patient's anxiety during a peripheral nerve block. Perioperative anxiety was low in all patients.

Immersing Patients in a Virtual Reality Environment for Brain Mapping During Awake Surgery: Safety Study

Implementation Barriers to Using Virtual Reality to Administer Mindfulness Therapy: Lessons from the Field.

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe study was motivated by the need to enhance children's literacy skills through innovative teaching methods. This research aims to address limitations in regular classroom teaching by exploring embodied learning and virtual reality (VR) as potential solutions.ObjectivesThe primary aim of the study was to investigate the effects of embodied learning, with and without VR, on children's literacy skills.MethodsA randomised controlled trial was conducted with 108 children aged 6–7 years. Participants were randomly assigned to either: a Control group with regular classroom teaching, a VR group using body‐phonemes with VR headsets and a Mirror group using body‐phonemes without VR headsets. The children were evaluated on literacy skills before and after a 2‐week intervention period.Results and ConclusionsThe study found significant improvements in letter‐sound knowledge for both the VR and Mirror groups compared to the Control group. These findings suggest that embodied learning, whether using VR or not, can effectively enhance children's literacy skills. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04618822

Introduction:The introduction of Virtual Reality (VR) technology has opened up new avenues to delve into daylight and view-out studies, offering a dynamic, controlled, and immersive approach for conducting human-centered experiments. Despite these benefits, existing VR studies in the current view-out research tend to rely on the use of static scenes, typically sourced from tone-mapped HDR photographs or rendered images, which lack the temporal dynamics inherent to real world views. This paper presents a comprehensive methodology for integrating real-time stereoscopic videos into VR to enhance the realism and dynamism of daylight and view-out research.Methods:We utilize a Canon EOS R5 camera equipped with dual fisheye lenses to capture dynamic views-out scenes. The captured footage is converted to an equirectangular format and integrated into Unity3D to create an immersive VR environment. The proposed methodology includes detailed steps for setting up VR experiments, capturing and processing stereoscopic videos, and analyzing participant interactions using physiological data and eye-tracking from a VR headset. Our approach addresses the limitations of static scene simulations by incorporating temporal dynamics and real-time data collection.Results:We provide technical insights, pseudocode, and visual evidence to support the reproducibility and reliability of the proposed workflow. The results demonstrate the potential of VR to significantly improve the accuracy and depth of environmental perception studies, offering a valuable tool for architectural and urban design research. Some of the challenges faced when dealing with the preparation of VR-based human experiments will be addressed, including debugging complexities, scene generation or sequencing issues and problems arising in data collection, specifically within the context of daylight and view-out research. Our aim is to deliver a hands-on workflow, similar in nature to a "contextualized tutorial," that can assist researchers in avoiding common mistakes and refining accuracy in subsequent studies. Future work will focus on validating the VR simulations against real-world conditions and exploring the broader applications of this methodology in different environmental contexts.Conclusion:The implications of our work extend beyond immediate research outcomes, serving as a foundational framework that can grow in utility and application as VR technology advances. In conclusion, we emphasize that our paper stands as a critical resource for researchers dedicated to exploring the intricate interplay between daylight, views, and human perception within the realm of architectural design, offering a method to deepen our understanding as we anticipate future technological breakthroughs.