Virtual Reality for Pain Management : Designing a Patient-Centred Post-Surgical VR Application for Cardiothoracic Patients

This project addresses the need for a patient‑centred medical Virtual Reality (VR) application developed through exploratory user research, given the current lack of interventions grounded in a deep understanding of patients’ needs and preferences. The study investigated how VR could potentially support post-surgical recovery for adult cardiothoracic surgery patients, with a focus on reducing pain, easing anxiety, and improving emotional well-being. Its purpose was to gain a deeper understanding of patients’ post-operative experiences and translate these insights into the design of an Extended Reality (XR) application. The study was exploratory and qualitative, aiming to understand patient experiences rather than evaluate clinical effects. A background study consisting of a literature review and market analysis led to the development of a VR content categorisation framework, the Passivity-Activity Continuum. The main study included observations, study visits, interviews with patients, a clinical psychologist, and nurses, as well as a survey and a trigger material exercise. Insights from the interviews are presented as insight cards and Point-of-View (POV) statements. Together, the background study and the main study informed the design requirements for the application. An ideation workshop and an affinity-mapping session generated three early concepts, followed by a refinement process that resulted in the final concept. After testing with professionals and patients, a mid-fidelity illustrative prototype was created in Figma. This prototype can be further tested and developed in future work. The project contributes a set of empirically grounded insights into post-surgical patient needs and a design concept that operationalises these insights into a structured platform for VR-based support.