This is a first in France and has been tested at the CLB since April 2016.
In the waiting room of the surgery ward at the Centre Léon Bérard, patients can enjoy this new device to help them relax before their surgery. The surgery care team offers them the use of a virtual reality headset that will take them into a 20-minute relaxation session that involves diving with a whale.
The images are hyper-realistic, three-dimensional and with a 360° view. Relaxing music and respiratory exercises also play a part in lowering patient stress levels. The very immersive nature of this high-tech tool allows near constant involvement. Eighty patients tested this device in 2016 and all stated that their anxiety level had been lowered by more than 50% according to the evaluation scale they had been given.
This new device is an alternative to premedication or to sedatives and anxiolytics. It can also replace hypnosis, which cannot be offered to all patients in need, due to time constraints.