Immersive medical virtual reality: still a novelty or already a necessity?

VR is a technology that allows users to interact with and experience a simulated environment.2 The technology typically involves the use of a headset or other device that displays a 3D computer-generated environment, as well as sounds and haptic feedback, and input devices to create a fully interactive immersive experience. The immersion establishes a sense of presence3 - a user's subjective feeling that they are actually present in the virtual environment. This subjective sense of presence is modulated by the employed technology4 and is enhanced by the use of head tracking and other technologies that allow the user to move around within the virtual environment. Medical VR applications take advantage of the technology's ability to elicit emotional responses, convey spatial information and provide a sense of presence in a simulated environment. Typically, the applications use engaging VR experiences while providing a safe and controlled environment for failsafe practice, learning, distraction, relaxing or treatment.