Abstract
Dear Editor:
Because the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has manifested to be particularly severe in the elderly and those with underlying diseases, 1 cancer patients receiving palliative care are at higher risk. Many palliative care units (PCUs) have strict restrictions on visitation, through prohibiting visitation or allowing only a few relatives to meet patients. However, failure to provide adequate care for anticipatory grieving at the end of life will result in stronger postbereavement grief for the patients' families. 2 Some patients feel sad that they cannot return home because they are restricted to stay indoors. Therefore, the demand for remote medical care is increasing rapidly. Although videophone is a useful communication tool, we agree with Wang's suggestion that virtual reality (VR) technologies can push the boundaries of communication that videophones cannot offer. 3 Therefore, we would like to present how VR can be used under the current visitation restrictions and to propose to medical professionals who are considering VR about our knowledge of pioneering VR in palliative care.
Specifically, we introduce remote VR operations (VR travel) and features of VR headsets. As a further developmental approach, we also introduce VR live streaming, which can connect homes and hospital rooms with a sense of immersion.
Conducting VR Travel Remotely and Features of the Headset
As long as a VR headset is connected to the Internet, the multiplayer mode of the Oculus app called “Wander” allows people to enjoy VR travel together, no matter where people are. It is suggested that VR travel to memorable places can temporarily improve various symptoms in inpatients on PCU. 4 However, when it comes to introducing VR, some people may be confused about which headset to choose. Thus, we summarized the features of the main commercially available headsets (Table 1). Please note that this table is a personal statement based on experiences and not the result of a consensus.
The Features of the Main Commercially Available Immersive Virtual Reality Headsets
◎, good; ○, moderate; △, requiring consideration.
VR, virtual reality.
Connecting Hospital Rooms and Homes Using VR Live Streaming
Some patients and families communicate through applications such as Skype, but some of them find it grueling not to share the same space and cuddle together. One of the possible solutions to this problem is VR live streaming. The video taken by a 360° camera placed in a hospital room or at home can be streamed live through platforms such as YouTube and Facebook. The 360° video can be viewed with a smartphone, allowing patients or families to experience the feeling of sharing the same time and space. This seems to be a versatile method because this can be done with a commercially available 360° camera, ordinary smartphones, and simple VR goggles.
The use of highly adaptive technologies for telemedicine such as VR will be meaningful in the prolonged battle against COVID-19 and in the post-COVID-19 era. This approach can be useful in PCU and COVID-19 infectious wards, as well as in general wards. Thus, it is desirable that the Internet connection in hospitals be developed, and that COVID-19 subside as soon as possible without compromising the quality of medical care.