University Hospital Southampton trial new virtual reality tool
The tool shows patients the procedure through a headset
Medical professionals at University Hospital Southampton (UHS) are using virtual reality to help reduce patients' anxiety.
The VR headset works by showing animations of procedures to the patient , as opposed to using medical jargon as part of a leaflet.
The research at UHS tested the use of VR as part of the consent process for a planned procedure to treat kidney stones, known as shockwave lithotripsy.
Solomon Bracey, a medical student at the University of Southampton and is presenting the research at European Association of Urology Congress in London, said: “There is currently a mismatch between the complexity of information provided to patients and the level which most people can comprehend.
"This risks people consenting to procedures they don’t fully understand.
“VR has been shown to improve learning and knowledge retention, and our study suggests it could be used to help people to make more fully informed decisions about their health.
“We were also encouraged by what we saw in pain questionnaires, which gives us an important question to explore in future research."
The research found around 6 in 10 adults in England are reported to struggle to understand complex medical information.
This affects their ability to make a fully informed decision about whether to undergo a procedure.