Amid an intense physical, emotional, and social disruption that front-line healthcare workers experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, new research has shown one way to alleviate related stress.
According to new research in PLOS One, viewing nature in virtual reality headsets may alleviate stress among first-line workers.
As part of the research, three requirements distinguished eligible participants for inclusion in the study at its initial phase: adult age range, English language capabilities, and employment status in healthcare,
The study involved 201 willing participants, with their use of Tranquil Cinematic-VR simulation regarded as effective for reducing subjective stress in the short-term.
“Findings from this pilot study suggest that the application of this Tranquil Cinematic-VR simulation was effective in reducing subjective stress among frontline healthcare workers in the short-term,” the journal report states.
“More research is needed to compare the Tranquil Cinematic-VR simulation to a control condition and assess subjective and objective measures of stress over time.”
