Britain's first VR medical plan to create mental health virtual therapy

Release date: 2018-02-02

At the "MQ (Mental Health Charity) Mental Health 2018 Annual Meeting" held on the 1st, the British Ministry of Health's political affairs official Xia Hanyi announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIHR) will launch a plan of 4 million pounds. Providing advanced mental health virtual therapy for the National Health Service (NHS).

The breakthrough program will be implemented by a team of institutions such as the National Medical Services Foundation and the University of Oxford, led by Daniel Freman, a professor of psychiatry at Oxford University. Freyman said: "The program will be the first to witness one of the most exciting and powerful technologies (ie VR) used in the NHS."

According to Freyman, virtual reality therapy can help patients change their lives. When the patient accepts the headset, the virtual instructor takes them into a variety of scenarios that are simulated by the computer, causing them to be disturbed, and instructing them to use contextual solutions to help them practice various techniques to overcome them. The difficulties faced. Patients often find this practice easier than in the real world and are happy to use virtual reality. Freyman said: "This treatment is automatic, the VR equipment used is not expensive, so it has the potential to be promoted in the NHS. VR is expected to greatly increase the number of people who receive the most effective psychotherapy. In the service of patients, the future Three years of these important investments should produce real and positive changes."

The plan is divided into three phases: the first phase of the design will ensure that VR therapy is simple and easy to use, appealing to patients and suitable for patient needs; the second phase of the NHS Trust Fund will establish a large multi-purpose center for clinical trials to Demonstrate the benefits of VR therapy; and finally develop a roadmap for implementing virtual reality therapy at the NHS.

Source: Technology Daily