Virtual reality to improve cognitive well-being

It is estimated that approx HalfHospitalized patients They will suffer cognitive, psychological, and physical consequences after discharge from the ICU. This is called an event Post intensive care syndrome and include a range of physical, cognitive or emotional difficulties resulting from living in these units which may persist five years After the onset of symptoms.

Isolation from the family environment, psychological impact related to admission, as well as certain medical procedures, among other factors, can exacerbate emotions. Loneliness, depression and fear, thus having a negative impact on the mental health of these people. These problems affect not only the patient, but also himself familiar environment,

Both because of the emotional demands and the high social, medical and economic costs that all of this causes.

An innovative technological tool

This is one of the dangers this situation presents chronificationAnd despite the multiple interventions undertaken to mitigate the problem, the focus remained on strategies prevention, today they are rare. From this lack comes a project from the Park Touli Research and Innovation Institute (I3PT), which has created an innovative. E-Health Neuropsychological Therapy Based on non-immersive virtual reality technologies developed specifically to suit the needs of the critically ill patient and the ICU environment.

Clinical studies will be conducted in critically ill patients to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of this technological tool, to improve the quality of life of patients during their stay in the intensive care unit and to reduce the incidence of cognitive and psychological problems after discharge. on Gamificationwhich will be used as a supplement to standard medical treatment during ICU stay.

“We will evaluate the effect of this intervention on the patient’s medical condition to ensure that the intervention is safe”

To do this, the well-being, cognitive functioning and emotional state of patients who received initial cognitive stimulation and psychological support will be compared with another group of patients who received only standard medical treatment.

“The hypothesis is that patients who receive complementary e-health neuropsychological therapy will achieve better outcomes than patients who receive only standard medical treatment. Similarly, we will evaluate the effect of this intervention on the patient’s medical condition to ensure that the intervention is safe,” he explained. Guillermo NavaraThe project’s lead researcher and assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) is affiliated with a research group on highly prevalent mental disorders.

The project is co-led by the I3PT Translational Research Group on Critically Ill Patients in which they participate. Josephina Lopez (group leader), Sol Fernandez, Marta Godoy AndMercedes joinsand which also includes the Network Biomedical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases and Mental Health of the Carlos III Health Institute.

Thanks to a grant from La Maratón 3CAT for Mental Health Research (2021), the team will lead this research project together with UIB’s University Institute for Research in Health Sciences, Palma’s Son Latzer University Hospital and the company Eodyne Systems. SL All partners met last December to share progress so far and agree on next steps before starting the clinical trial, scheduled for spring 2024 and lasting two years.