Virtual reality (VR) treatments for anxiety disorders are unambiguously successful, so why are so few therapists using it? Barriers to adoption and potential solutions.

Autor: Wray TB; Center for Alcohol and Addictions Studies, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA., Kemp JJ; Pediatric Anxiety Research Center, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA., Larsen MA; Virtually Better, Inc, Decatur, GA, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Cognitive behaviour therapy [Cogn Behav Ther] 2023 Nov; Vol. 52 (6), pp. 603-624. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Jun 28.
DOI: 10.1080/16506073.2023.2229017
Abstrakt: Anxiety disorders are a significant cause of disability globally, yet only one in ten sufferers receives adequate quality treatment. Exposure-based therapies are effective in reducing symptoms associated with a number of anxiety disorders. However, few therapists use exposure techniques to treat these conditions, even when they are adequately trained in them, often because of concerns about provoking distress, drop out, logistical barriers, and other concerns. Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) can address many of these concerns, and a large body of research decisively shows that VRET is as efficacious for treating these conditions as in vivo exposures. Yet, use of VRET remains low. In this article, we discuss several factors we believe are contributing to low VRET adoption among therapists and raise potential solutions to address them. We consider steps that VR experience developers and researchers might take, such as leading studies of VRET's real-world effectiveness and treatment optimization trials and continuing to improve the fit of platforms with clinicians' workflows. We also discuss steps to address therapist reservations using aligned implementation strategies, as well as barriers for clinics, and the roles that professional organizations and payers could have in improving care by encouraging adoption of VRET.
Databáze: MEDLINE
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