Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality in Healthcare Clinical Practices

Brief Postoperative VR Sessions Don’t Reduce Pain and Anxiety (March 2026)
A prospective randomised trial of 90 paediatric patients found that brief 10 minute post-operative (following Nuss Repair of Pectus Excavatum) VR sessions of mindfulness and distraction gaming did not result in significant differences in anxiety, pain scores or opioid use between VR and control groups. Read full article
Eight Week VR Programming is Linked to Positive Brain Changes in Orthopaedic Patients (March 2026)
A sample of 10 orthopaedic patients receiving an 8-week home based therapeutic VR intervention programme (RelieVRx) were assessed for conditions related to sub-acute musculoskeletal pain by using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to assess changes in prefrontal cortex activation and co-activation. There was significant post tx increases in distraction and relaxation tasks, improved mindfulness and coping scores and a reduction in pain anxiety, pain catastrophizing and self-efficacy. Read full article
VR Rehabilitation Sessions Show Promise for ICU Patient Outcomes: Meta-Analysis (March 2026)
A systematic review across 10 databases for randomized controlled trials (n=16) on the feasibility and safety of VR based early rehabilitation ICU interventions found suggested potential trends for VR improving anxiety, subjective sleep quality, balance, and limb motor and cognitive function among critically ill adults. Read full article

VR Boosts Medical Students' Head and Neck Anatomy Scores (February 2026)
A pilot study of 21 medical students found that using an educational Meta Quest VR platform resulted in average quiz scores jumping from 4.33 to 6.67 out of 10 after a single VR anatomy session, with over 90% of students reporting greater confidence in their anatomy knowledge. Read full article
3D VR and AR Reviewed Across All Major Surgical Subspecialties (March 2026)
A comprehensive review maps current VR, AR, & MR applications, 3D visualization technology, and 3D printing’s implications and future directions across hepatobiliary, pancreatic, GI, thyroid, breast, hernia and abdominal wall, organ transplant, and paediatric surgeries as well as exploring future directions for AI, telecommunications and digital twin tech (ie., AI VR replicas of pt’s anatomy using imaging data and gemonic data for surgical sim, planning and rehearsal). Read full article

VR Outperforms Traditional Manikin Training for Dental Students (January 2026)
A 126-student comparative RCT found the VR group scored significantly higher on average pre-clinical lab scores for cavity prep (6.31 vs. 3.93 out of 10) as well as reporting greater clinical confidence and an enhanced learning experience.Read full article
Systematic Review of Using AR/VR for Dental Surgical Training Shows Promise (February 2026)
A PRISMA review of 25 RCTs found immersive technologies showed promise in equalling or at times outperforming traditional methods for preparation accuracy, diagnostics, and learner confidence. Read full article