Proposed Topic (Most preferred): :
Research and Innovations (new projects / technology / innovations / service models)
Proposed Topic (Second preferred): :
Clinical Safety and Quality Service III (Projects aiming at quality service to patients and their carers)
Authors (including presenting author) :
So LY(1)(2), Leung SF(2)(3)
Affiliation :
(1) Old Aged Psychiatry, Castle Peak Hospital (2) Master of Science, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (3) Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Sydney
Introduction :
Global aging is a major problem, which has also led to a rise in dementia cases. A common dementia symptom that causes caregiver burnout is Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia. Previous studies and reviews mainly focused on the effects of other non-pharmacological intervention on dementia, such as doll therapy, reminiscence therapy, aromatherapy, music therapy, and cognitive stimulation treatment while the effects of Virtual Reality intervention on BPSD of demented clients have been under-explored.
Objectives :
To study feasibility and challenges of various types of VR intervention on demented clients with BPSD.
Methodology :
Using the PRISMA checklist guidelines, a systematic search was conducted in the following databases with PICO (population, interventions, comparison and outcome) searching strategy: PubMed, PsycINFO (via ProQuest), Cochrane Library, CINAHL Complete, Scopus, and Embase from 1998 to April 2023. The Journal of Biomedical Informatics (JBI) was used to assess the quality of the studies. All types of study design used VR intervention were included in this review to capture all the available evidence, including original articles which examine the effects of VR intervention on BPSD of demented clients. Brief research reports, abstracts and protocols were excluded from the review.
Result & Outcome :
Ten studies including 153 participants investigated the use of VR to decrease BPSD were selected. Ten studies with different designs including mixed-method study, descriptive study, longitudinal pilot study, single case study, were originated from Australia, America, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Spain. Five over the ten studies indicated that VR was useful to decrease BPSD, including symptoms of apathy, depression, agitation and anxiety. Some adverse events were recorded during the VR intervention, including dizziness, cyber sickness and headache, indicating that safety of VR should be considered when implementing VR to elderly. The reviewed research showed that immersive virtual reality is a potentially useful technique for lowering BPSD and is well-tolerated and accepted by demented clients. However, the results are not inclusive due to the small samples and uncontrolled designs. Further RCT should be conducted to obtain a reliable result.
