Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Effect of an intensive care unit virtual reality intervention on relatives´ mental health distress: a multicenter, randomized controlled trial.
Relatives of intensive care unit (ICU) patients often endure symptoms of post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression during and after treatment of a family member's hospitalization. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ICU-specific virtual reality (ICU-VR) on mental health among relatives, 6 months after patient's ICU discharge. ⋯ ICU-VR did not significantly improve mental health distress symptoms among relatives 6-months after a patient's discharge. Relatives highly endorsed ICU-VR and self-reported that it improved their understanding of ICU treatment.