Riverside taps virtual reality to help patients

Aug. 1--Riverside Health System is exploring how virtual reality can benefit its cancer patients.

Music therapy coordinator Greg Gernon was participating in a health fair when an attendee said he was interested in using virtual reality to help veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I thought, 'What a brilliant idea,' " Gernon said.

Gernon, who has worked to integrate music therapy into Riverside's oncology services for the past 13 years, envisioned patients using VR goggles as a way to cope with stress while getting cancer treatment.

About $5,000 raised from local donors through the Riverside's Day of Giving in December enabled the health system to buy 16 headsets for Riverside's eight cancer care clinics across the region, including the Eastern Shore and Northern Neck.

Users are immersed in various scenes, like the beach, a waterfall or snowy mountains. Or, they can use it to watch movies in a virtual room.

"There's no chemo pump. There's no hospital setting," Gernon said. "You're in a different world."

The music therapist said virtual reality can help with the anxiety and anticipation of what might happen during treatment. Or for others, he added, it can help the boredom.

Other health systems across the country have been finding ways to incorporate virtual reality for patient care, including distracting children or educating patients. A 2016 study by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles found virtual reality could even help reduce pain in hospitalized patients.

The global market for virtual and augmented reality in health care is projected to reach $7 billion by 2026, driven by information technology advancements and demand for innovative techniques, according to research from Reports and Data.

Still, not all patients want to use virtual reality and may be more content with headphones.

Charles Frierson, 42, was the first patient to use the Oculus Go headset in January when he started coming to the Newport News cancer care center on Warwick Boulevard for chemotherapy. He welcomes the distraction.

The Hampton resident's breast cancer had returned and spread, but he maintains a positive attitude. Sometimes he even looks forward to coming to his treatments, which can take between three and four hours, so he can play with virtual reality.

"It makes the time go by," he said.

Gernon makes sure to have the goggles ready and set out for his arrival. Frierson is still aware of medical staff working around him with them on.

Often, Frierson will start with a roller coaster scene. He may then switch to exploring the sea in 3D. He prefers binge-watching Netflix with the VR headset over a tablet. On July 30, he hung out with a dinosaur named Blue in Jurassic World.

"I can escape when I'm here," Frierson said.

Eventually, Gernon would like to explore creating a virtual support group, as users can chat with each other through the headsets. Patients can remain anonymous behind avatars.

"At the end of the day, we're trying to provide the best care for our patients," said Amy Ryan, Riverside Foundation gift planning and special projects director. "We want to be at the forefront of those new technologies."

Virtual and augmented reality technology will also help train health care professionals at Riverside's planned simulation lab, which is on track to open in 2020, a spokesperson said. The lab can help doctors and their teams practice procedures in simulated situations.

Such training is quickly becoming adopted in the field. For example, Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk trains students in a simulation center with immersive environments.

Tara Bozick, 757-247-4741, tbozick@dailypress.com, @TidewaterBiz. Sign up for a free weekday business news email at TidewaterBiz.com.

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