Usability and acceptability of virtual reality for chronic pain management among diverse patients in a safety-net setting: a qualitative analysis

Marika Dy; Kristan Olazo; Courtney R Lyles; Sarah Lisker; Jessica Weinberg; Christine Lee; Michelle E Tarver; Anindita Saha; Kimberly Kontson; Richardae Araojo; Ellenor Brown; Urmimala Sarkar

doi:10.1093/jamiaopen/ooad050

Usability and acceptability of virtual reality for chronic pain management among diverse patients in a safety-net setting: a qualitative analysis

JAMIA Open. 2023 Jul 11;6(3):ooad050. doi: 10.1093/jamiaopen/ooad050. eCollection 2023 Oct.

Authors

Marika Dy^{1

2}, Kristan Olazo^{1

2}, Courtney R Lyles^{1

2

3}, Sarah Lisker^{1

2}, Jessica Weinberg⁴, Christine Lee⁵, Michelle E Tarver⁴, Anindita Saha⁴, Kimberly Kontson⁴, Richardae Araojo⁵, Ellenor Brown⁴, Urmimala Sarkar^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
² Center for Vulnerable Populations, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
³ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
⁴ Center for Devices and Radiological Health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, White Oak, Maryland, USA.
⁵ Office of Minority Health and Health Equity, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, White Oak, Maryland, USA.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to understand the usability and acceptability of virtual reality (VR) among a racially and ethnically diverse group of patients who experience chronic pain.

Materials and methods: Using the Technology Acceptance Model theory, we conducted semistructured interviews and direct observation of VR use with English-speaking patients who experience chronic pain treated in a public healthcare system (n = 15), using a commercially available VR technology platform. Interviews included questions about current pain management strategies, technology use, experiences and opinions with VR, and motivators for future use.

Results: Before the study, none of the 15 participants had heard about or used VR for pain management. Common motivators for VR use included a previous history of substance use and having exhausted many other options to manage their pain and curiosity. Most participants had a positive experience with VR and 47% found that the VR modules distracted them from their pain. When attempting the navigation-based usability tasks, most participants (73%-92%) were able to complete them independently.

Discussion: VR is a usable tool for diverse patients with chronic pain. Our findings suggest that the usability of VR is not a barrier and perhaps a focus on improving the accessibility of VR in safety-net settings is needed to reduce disparities in health technology use.

Conclusions: The usability and acceptability of VR are rarely studied in diverse patient populations. We found that participants had a positive experience using VR, showed interest in future use, and would recommend VR to family and friends.

Keywords: implementation science; information technology; medical informatics; qualitative research; virtual reality.