Comparing Immersive Mindfulness and Nature Interventions for Managing Preoperative Distress in Breast Cancer Patients: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
Comparing Immersive Mindfulness and Nature Interventions for Managing Preoperative Distress in Breast Cancer Patients: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
This pilot randomized controlled trial (N=60) investigates the efficacy of a brief, combined Virtual Reality (VR) and mindfulness meditation intervention and a VR nature intervention for breast cancer patients in the immediate pre-surgical waiting period.
Preoperative anxiety in breast cancer patients is highly prevalent and associated with adverse post-surgical outcomes. This study compares immersive virtual reality alone with the same nature based virtual environment combined with guided mindfulness meditation to determine if the therapeutic benefits of immersive technology can be enhanced by active psychological interventions. The trial evaluates patient-reported anxiety and fear, physiological measures, and incorporates an innovative computational semantic analysis of post-operative patient interviews.
Inclusion Criteria:
Female patients aged 18 years or older
Capable of providing written informed consent
Scheduled for elective breast cancer surgery requiring general anaesthesia
Possessing sufficient vision and hearing to engage with the VR experience
Exclusion Criteria:
Severe visual or auditory impairments
Cognitive deficits that would preclude engagement with the VR hardware
A history of motion sickness or known contraindications to VR exposure