{
  "abstract": "Background Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated world that can make you feel like you are there, immersing you in environments like a beach or a city. Evidence suggests that VR may help people with incurable illnesses by reducing symptoms like pain and enhancing well-being (Lloyd, Haraldsdottir. BMJ Support Palliat Care. 2021;11(3):344–50; Mo, Vickerstaff, Minton, et al. Palliat Med. 2022;36(7):1047–58). More hospices are using VR with patients alongside the personalised care they already provide. However, little is known about how many hospices use VR or how it is perceived by staff.Aim To understand how many hospices use VR and how hospice staff feel about this technology.Method An online survey was sent to adult, independent hospices in the UK (N=186). The survey was open between October 2024 and June 2025. Hospices were contacted by email and phone. Only one response per hospice was permitted, and questions were open and closed-ended. Ethical approval was given by UCL (26971/001).Results As of May 2025, 60 hospices (32%) responded to the survey. Of these, 31 (52%) did not own a VR headset. The main barriers to purchasing VR included a lack of funding (40%), high equipment costs (33%), and insufficient resources to implement (27%). Among the hospices that owned VR headsets, 17 (28%) did not use them, citing a lack of training and limited capacity. Hospices that used VR employed it to address various symptoms, including boredom (62%), anxiety (52%), and chronic pain (31%). Staff viewed VR as a novel tool for enabling patients to experience activities they can no longer do, but had concerns about cost and sustainability.Conclusions These findings provide early insights into staff attitudes towards VR in hospices, including potential benefits of VR and staff concerns about its implementation. This information will help hospices decide whether using VR with patients is appropriate.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, University College London, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Katie Flanagan"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Olivia Morris"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Centre for Evaluation and Methods, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Victoria Vickerstaff"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Policy and Research, Marie Curie, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Briony Hudson"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, University College London, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Libby Sallnow"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, University College London, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Nicola White"
    }
  ],
  "title": "P-177 Virtual reality in UK hospices: insights from a national survey",
  "uid": "fa70dccd-a474-5bb8-a62a-10df712456bb"
}