12 | FOREVER Keele
RESEARCH TO BE PROUD OF
VIRTUAL REALITY improves the mental health of cancer patients
As featured on BBC News , over 75 % of cancer patients involved in a study at Katharine House Hospice in Stafford say their mental health has been given a boost thanks to a virtual reality research project by a local filmmaker , in partnership with Keele University researchers .
Professor Saeed Farooq and Dr Rashi Negi from Keele ’ s School of Medicine and the Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust have worked with Ben Malone , the owner of Project Vae , a non-profit community interest company , on a study where patients were able to ‘ visit ’ destinations across the world through the use of 360 ° videos and virtual reality headsets , from the comfort of their armchairs .
Over 75 % said they felt improvements to their mental health and reported feeling less nervous , anxious or on edge after the trial .
The team now hope to build on the results of the Project Vae study by rolling it out on a larger scale and working towards improving the mental health and wellbeing of other patients within the care system .