The experience of having surgery can be frightening, resulting in stress and worry before the procedure. In reality, a global meta-analysis found that, although preoperative anxiety varies depending on age, past experiences, and interactions with staff, on average, almost half of all patients suffer severe worry prior to their surgery.
University of Miami researchers have looked into the potential stress reduction benefits of augmented reality (AR) in preoperative care. One cohort received only the conventional surgical instructions package, while the other cohort also received a three-minute augmented reality experience narrated by the chief surgeon.
The experience sought to remove the “fear of the unknown” from surgery, but in a more interactive and individualized way than the conventional materials. The patient wore a headset that blended their reality with new features relevant to the hospital and their surgery.
Contrary to VR, augmented reality (AR) adds to reality, and the user is always in charge of the experience. The extremely popular game Pokémon GO, which peaked in popularity in 2016, still has over 150 million active users each month, is one software that uses it through the phone screen.
Four times (twice before and twice after) over the course of the surgery, surveys were administered to both groups to gauge their levels of anxiety. The AR group consistently shown lower levels of stress prior to the operation. Furthermore, despite the fact that it significantly decreased in the first survey, it was maintained in the second set of data, indicating a persistent effect of this preoperative preparation.