Impact of Neurosurgical Consultation With 360-Degree Virtual Reality Technology on Patient Engagement and Satisfaction

Abstract

<jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title> <jats:sec> <jats:title>BACKGROUND</jats:title> <jats:p>Virtual Reality (VR) is being applied as a clinical tool to engage and educate patients during their neurosurgery consultation for various skull base and pituitary tumor pathologies.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>OBJECTIVE</jats:title> <jats:p>To assess the impact of VR implementation on patient satisfaction, understanding and comfort level, shared decision making, and surgical conversion using a 2-fold study.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>METHODS</jats:title> <jats:p>Patient feedback was collected after consultations with patient-specific VR renderings by Surgical Theater in a prospective survey study. A retrospective review of 257 new patients was also conducted to determine the impact of VR implementation on surgical conversion and patient outmigration rates.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>RESULTS</jats:title> <jats:p>Patients reported significantly higher ratings for overall satisfaction, understanding of their medical condition and treatment plan, and how well the physician communicated during the VR consultation compared to prior consultation(s). The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores for physician communication, hospital rating, and hospital recommendation were 23%, 24%, and 23%, respectively, higher than the national average. A 32% improvement in patient retention and conversion rates resulted from consultations with patient-specific VR models of their lesions (P &amp;lt; .0001).</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>CONCLUSION</jats:title> <jats:p>These findings indicate that VR is a powerful tool for enhancing patient engagement and education.</jats:p> </jats:sec>

The First Pilot Study of an Interactive, 360° Augmented Reality Visualization Platform for Neurosurgical Patient Education: A Case Series

“…Bekelis et al 32 designed a randominzed controlled trial of patients undergoing cranial and spine operations to standard preoperative education vs VR video-assisted education; they found patients with VR education had increased satisfaction during their clinical encounter and had reduced preoperative stress. Moreover, Louis et al 27 analyzed patient satisfaction after neurosurgery consultations with patient-specific VR renderings of various skull base and pituitary pathologies; patients reported significantly higher ratings for overall satisfaction, understanding their medical condition, treatment plan, and physician communication. These studies emphasize that not only can VR, as a preoperative education tool, minimize patient anxiety, but also can increase confidence in their treatment plan from their physicians.…”

Patient-specific virtual reality technology for complex neurosurgical cases: illustrative cases

“…By providing interactive 3D visual information, consultations with patient-specific models have been proved to improve patient-reported understanding and satisfaction for various pathologies. 20,25 Lessons Advanced 3D planning in neurosurgery has been shown to facilitate the understanding of complex relationships between the lesion and surrounding anatomy. 26 For all cases, the use of patient-specific models for planning and intraoperative navigation improved the surgeons' understanding of each patient's unique anatomy and consequently their situational awareness while operating.…”

“…[27][28][29] In addition to increased understanding and satisfaction, 94% of patients reported feeling included in the decision-making process during 360°VR consultations. 25 Patient involvement in shared decision-making may reflect a more comprehensive understanding of the treatment plan, which directly translates to more informed consent. [30][31][32] Future work addressing the limitations of the qualitative findings of this paper might seek to measure quantitative information that supports the higher safety claims presented here.…”

“…By providing interactive 3D visual information, consultations with patient-specific models have been proved to improve patient-reported understanding and satisfaction for various pathologies. 20 , 25 …”

“… 27–29 In addition to increased understanding and satisfaction, 94% of patients reported feeling included in the decision-making process during 360°VR consultations. 25 Patient involvement in shared decision-making may reflect a more comprehensive understanding of the treatment plan, which directly translates to more informed consent. 30–32 …”