Keywords: Virtual reality, patient education, immersive VR integration

Background:

Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) is emerging as a novel tool in patient education within general practice. Traditional methods often fall short in engaging patients, especially in conveying complex, abstract medical concepts. VR offers interactive, 3D visualizations that can enhance understanding and retention. Preliminary studies suggest that VR can improve patient comprehension of chronic conditions and motivate healthier behaviors. However, its feasibility and impact in routine primary care settings remain underexplored.

Research questions:

Can immersive VR be feasibly integrated into general practice for patient education, and does it improve patient understanding of health conditions and motivate healthier behaviors in a pilot setting?

Method:

This mixed-methods pilot study will be conducted in family medicine clinics in Bulgaria, Germany and Turkey. Adult patients with chronic conditions (e.g., diabetes, cardiovascular disease) will participate in VR education sessions lasting 5 to 10 minutes, integrated into routine consultations. The VR modules will include interactive scenarios such as virtual tours of the body to explain cardiovascular risk and gamified modules to demonstrate the effects of diet and exercise on diabetes control. Data will be collected using pre- and post-intervention quizzes to assess knowledge improvement, self-report measures to gauge motivation for health behavior change, and semi-structured interviews to capture patient experiences. Feasibility metrics, including session setup time and technical issues, will also be recorded.

Results:

Preliminary findings indicate that VR education is well-accepted by patients, with many reporting improved understanding of their health conditions and increased motivation to adopt healthier behaviors. Feasibility data suggest that integrating VR into clinic workflows is manageable, with minimal disruption.

Conclusions:

Immersive VR can be feasibly integrated into general practice for patient education. It shows promise in enhancing patient understanding and motivating healthier behaviors. These findings support further investigation into VR's role in primary care education.

Points for discussion:

Challenges in scaling VR-based patient education to diverse populations.

Strategies for integrating VR into routine clinical workflows.

Evaluating the long-term impact of VR education on health outcomes.(meeting.egprn.org)