Evidence mapPaperPMID 40729629Full record

Trial reportJMIR formative research2025

Virtual Reality Interventions of Daily Versus Weekly Data Collection in Patient-Reported Outcomes Among Adults With Cancer: Pilot Survey Study.

Matthew Browning, Olivia McAnirlin, Fu Li, Jeffrey Bertrand, Denise Davis, Kapil Madathil, George Fredric Mau, Teny Henry Gomez

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in JMIR formative research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Matthew BrowningVirtual Reality and Nature Lab, Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, Clemson University, 515 Calhoun Drive, Clemson, SC, 29631, United States, 1 864 656 3400.ORCID 0000-0003-2296-7602
Olivia McAnirlin *Virtual Reality and Nature Lab, Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, Clemson University, 515 Calhoun Drive, Clemson, SC, 29631, United States, 1 864 656 3400.ORCID 0000-0003-1321-078X
Fu Li *Virtual Reality and Nature Lab, Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, Clemson University, 515 Calhoun Drive, Clemson, SC, 29631, United States, 1 864 656 3400.ORCID 0000-0002-9805-0158
Jeffrey BertrandDepartment of Industrial Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-3921-4693
Denise DavisDepartment of Integrated Information Technology, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-4083-8636
Kapil MadathilDepartment of Industrial Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-8938-9793
George Fredric MauWatermark Counseling, Columbia, SC, United States.ORCID 0009-0004-1164-2401
Teny Henry GomezDivision of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Prisma Health Upstate, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville (USCOM-Greenville), Columbia, SC, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-5554-6930

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Virtual reality (VR) interventions are increasingly used in health care settings to improve patient-reported outcomes (PROs). PROs are commonly evaluated at weekly intervals with data collected via digital surveys. While weekly assessments have benefits, VR devices enable more frequent in-device data collection. It remains unclear whether PROs collected more frequently provide more information on these interventions than PROs collected more infrequently. Objective: This pilot study explored differences between daily and weekly PRO data collection in a VR intervention with nature imagery, with and without guided imagery, among patients with cancer. Methods: Patients with cancer (n=8) were randomly assigned to one of four intervention groups: (1) virtual reality-assisted guided imagery (VRAGI), (2) VR without guided imagery, (3) desktop VR with guided imagery, or (4) desktop VR without guided imagery. Devices were mailed to participants' homes for 15-20 minutes of daily use over 3 weeks. Weekly outcomes (pain, anxiety, depression, and well-being) were assessed using items from the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale. Daily outcomes were captured via in-device pre-post surveys. Data were analyzed descriptively, using visual trend comparisons to explore patterns. Results: Of 41 patients who consented, 8 provided complete and usable data. Weekly outcomes showed no consistent trends. In contrast, daily data revealed more nuanced patterns, such as early symptom relief, plateaus, and "double-bottom" effects. The addition of guided imagery did not consistently enhance outcomes beyond VR alone, although the VRAGI condition showed the greatest improvement in well-being. Given the small sample size, these findings should be considered exploratory. Conclusions: This pilot study suggests that daily PRO data might offer richer insight into intervention effects than weekly assessments. Further research with larger samples is needed to confirm these patterns.

Indexed as

Data CollectionImagery, PsychotherapyNeoplasmsPatient Reported Outcome MeasuresVirtual RealityAdultAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPilot ProjectsSurveys and Questionnairesguided imagerypain managementresearch designsurvey administrationvirtual reality

Identifiers

PMID40729629
PMCPMC12306918

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.