Applied Sciences, Vol. 12, Pages 11308: Virtual and Augmented Reality as a Novel Opportunity to Unleash the Power of Radiotherapy in the Digital Era: A Scoping Review
Applied Sciences, Vol. 12, Pages 11308: Virtual and Augmented Reality as a Novel Opportunity to Unleash the Power of Radiotherapy in the Digital Era: A Scoping Review
Applied Sciences doi: 10.3390/app122211308
Authors:
Giulia Marvaso
Matteo Pepa
Stefania Volpe
Federico Mastroleo
Mattia Zaffaroni
Maria Giulia Vincini
Giulia Corrao
Luca Bergamaschi
Ketti Mazzocco
Gabriella Pravettoni
Roberto Orecchia
Barbara Alicja Jereczek-Fossa
Although radiation therapy (RT) provides several therapeutic advantages in terms of cancer control and quality of life, it continues to be a poorly understood field by most students and health workers. Theoretical lessons are not sufficient, while practical exercitations are time-consuming, both in terms of man- and machine-hours. Furthermore, RT candidates often have several prejudices that may affect their treatment choices, favoring the more well-known surgical or chemotherapy approaches or resulting in a high level of anxiety during treatment. Moreover, the misperception of low treatment control and its related side effects could worsen the patients’ psychological distress, already brought by a cancer diagnosis. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) could be a valid instrument for promoting the awareness of radiation oncology as a discipline with its own identity and respect in the scientific community. The aim of the present work is to provide a glance at the recent developments in AR/VR to support students’ education, personnel training and patients’ empowerment in this clinical setting. The main findings of our work show that such technologies have already become a reality in many institutions worldwide and it has been shown to be an effective strategy for raising educational standards, improving health workers’ skills and promoting patients’ well-being and compliance. These results seem to promote the further implementation of AR/VR technologies and their development as a driving force of a much-hoped-for revolution in the way patients are treated and radiation oncology is taught.
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