ICU-VR
Trial question
What is the effect of ICU-specific virtual reality on mental health among relatives after patient's ICU discharge?
Study design
Multi-center
Open label
RCT
Population
Characteristics of study participants
53.0% female
47.0% male
N = 189
189 patients (101 female, 88 male).
Inclusion criteria: adult relatives of ICU patients with an expected ICU stay of ≥ 72 hours.
Key exclusion criteria: unable to understand Dutch; no smartphone or tablet available; lack of a formal home address.
Interventions
N=100 ICU-VR (ICU-specific virtual reality designed by an interdisciplinary team of intensivists, psychologist, a former ICU patient and a virtual reality director plus standard care).
N=89 standard care (standard care alone).
Primary outcome
Reduction in post-traumatic stress disorder at 6 months
23%
18%
23.0 %
17.3 %
11.5 %
5.8 %
0.0 %
ICU-VR
Standard
care
No significant
difference ↔
No significant difference in reduction in post-traumatic stress disorder at 6 months (23% vs. 18%; AD 5%, 95% CI -701.19 to 711.19).
Secondary outcomes
No significant difference in reduction in anxiety at 6 months (22% vs. 30%; ARD -8, 95% CI -24.59 to 8.59).
No significant difference in reduction in depression at 6 months (17% vs. 23%; ARD -6, 95% CI -20.96 to 8.96).
No significant difference in reduction in median mental QoL scores (50.2 points vs. 52.6 points; AD -2.4 points, 95% CI -9.37 to 4.57).
Conclusion
In adult relatives of ICU patients with an expected ICU stay of ≥ 72 hours, ICU-VR was not superior to standard care with respect to reduction in post-traumatic stress disorder at 6 months.
Reference
Denzel L Q Drop, Johan H Vlake, Evert-Jan Wils et al. Effect of an intensive care unit virtual reality intervention on relatives´ mental health distress: a multicenter, randomized controlled trial. Crit Care. 2025 Feb 5;29(1):62.
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