Virtual reality training allows healthcare professionals to practise difficult clinical situations, such as an aggressive patient, inadequately assessed pain or a disoriented older person, in an environment that is safe, reproducible and controlled by the trainer.
Try the C2Care solution for free: create an account to access a demonstration scene and explore the training modules: managing aggression, pain management, autism spectrum disorder, addictive disorders and disorientation in older people.
Training healthcare teams to handle complex situations, such as an aggressive patient, inadequately assessed pain or disorientation in an older person, often means waiting for these situations to arise in practice. Reproducing these situations in a controlled way during traditional training is not always possible.
Virtual reality training in healthcare addresses these limitations:
C2Care environments allow learners to face situations encountered in practice: a hospital room with an aggressive patient, a patient in pain who needs assessment, or the sensory perceptions of a child with autism spectrum disorder.
The trainer selects the scene that matches the learning objectives and can develop the scenario during immersion to work on professional conduct, interpersonal skills and stress management in these situations.
These simulations can be repeated and adjusted from one session to the next to strengthen the transfer of skills to real practice, particularly in pain assessment or the management of disorientation in older people.
The studies cited at the bottom of the page examine virtual reality in healthcare staff training. A meta-analysis of 31 studies shows slightly better knowledge than with conventional teaching, and markedly better cognitive skills. Among nursing students, 19 trials report improvements in knowledge and clinical skills.
Virtual reality complements trainer-led training; it does not replace it.
VRET
The practitioner seats the patient on a swivel chair and fits them with the virtual reality headset
Using their interface, the practitioner selects the environment suited to the session's objectives and starts the exposure.
During immersion, the practitioner supports the patient using a visual feed and can adjust the exposure scene in real time
Environments
Each environment reproduces a clinical situation encountered in practice, with support from an expert trainer.
Simulation of a verbally and physically aggressive patient in a hospital room, with evolving scenarios to work on professional conduct and stress management.
An interactive scenario involving a patient in pain, to practise pain assessment and checking prescriptions.
The learner takes the place of an autistic child to understand the disturbing elements of the child's environment as the child perceives them.
Raising awareness of disorientation in time and space in older people through the care of disoriented patients.
Create a free account to discover all exposure scenarios and subscribe directly online
Solène Montègue
Neuropsychiatrist
The developments C2Care is currently integrating into the interface are very promising and meet the established therapeutic objectives [...]: offering tailored exercises that can be adapted to levels of dependency, cognitive disorders, and patients' real-time responses.
Samia Lahya
Psychiatrist
With the acquisition of new equipment [...] and updates to the C2Care programs, its use has expanded even further: OCD, phobias, addictions, anxiety disorders, depression, and PTSD. Ten years later, it is no longer merely a curiosity, but a genuine therapeutic tool that is stimulating, innovative, and effective.
Sabrina Gineau
Psychologist
I incorporate this technology into brief therapies lasting two to four months, with one session per week. I begin with relaxation techniques and, when patients are ready, we proceed. It makes it much easier to expose people to these situations.
Noël Schepers
Psychologist
Virtual reality can enrich and personalize treatment, facilitate patient-therapist collaboration in developing the treatment plan, and add a playful dimension. The possibilities for development and application are immense and extend to every area of psychology and psychotherapy.
Mélanie Boucherot
Psychologist
The value of this technology [C2Care] lies in offering new possibilities for therapeutic support and expanding the range of tools available to healthcare professionals.
François Maltese
Psychologist
For several months, we have been using virtual reality in habituation therapies. Before the procedure, patients are progressively and immersively exposed to their future medical environment and psychologically prepared to accept it.
Dre Marie-Claude Roberge
Doctor of Psychology
Since 2022, we have been using virtual reality therapy with the C2Care platform to simulate exposure to aversive stimuli and triggers that cause anxiety. Exposure therapy is used to treat specific phobias, including fear of heights, enclosed spaces, flying, dogs, emetophobia, and many others.
Dr Laure Du Pouget
Urologist
Using a virtual reality headset for self-hypnosis during prostate biopsies creates a calm atmosphere for a procedure that can sometimes be uncomfortable, even with effective local anesthesia...
Delphine Py
Psychologist
Thank you to C2Care for providing innovative virtual reality solutions to support CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy)! A major step forward in making exposure exercises easier and helping our patients overcome their phobias.
Ropponen et al. — Impact of VR simulation on nursing students' skills, confidence and satisfaction
Impacts of VR simulation on nursing students' competence, confidence, and satisfaction: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
Sabrie et al. — Virtual reality simulation training in gastrointestinal endoscopy for healthcare professionals
Virtual reality simulation training for health professions trainees in gastrointestinal endoscopy
Kyaw et al. — Virtual reality for healthcare professional training: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Virtual Reality for Health Professions Education: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis by the Digital Health Education Collaboration
Discover
Depending on your patients' needs, other areas may also be relevant to explore. Discover the different environments available in C2Care.
Create a free account to discover all exposure scenarios and subscribe directly online
FAQ
Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions about using virtual reality in healthcare training.
C2Care has been trialling its virtual reality software in hospitals since 2016. To date, the solution offers more than 250 virtual environments, with more than 700 practitioners trained in 25 countries.
The learner wears a virtual reality headset and is immersed in a clinical situation selected by the trainer. Using their interface, the trainer develops the scenario during immersion according to the learner's reactions. The session continues with a debriefing to analyse the approach taken and consolidate learning.
It is intended for care teams in healthcare and medico-social facilities: nurses and nursing assistants dealing with an aggressive patient or a patient in pain, teams supporting disoriented older people, and professionals working with children with autism spectrum disorder.
C2Care modules cover managing aggression in a hospital room, pain assessment and management, the sensory perception of a child with autism, addictive disorders, and disorientation in older people.
A virtual environment is an immersive scene that recreates a real situation, in this case a clinical situation: a hospital room, a patient in pain, or the perception of a child with autism. Learners practise in a controlled and repeatable way, without exposing a real patient.
The studies cited on this page report slightly better knowledge than with conventional teaching and improvements in clinical skills among healthcare professionals and students trained in virtual reality. It complements instructor-led training without replacing it.
Some users may experience cybersickness, similar to motion sickness, with temporary nausea or disorientation. According to C2Care data, this affects around 10% of people and varies from person to person.
C2Care is compatible with the main standalone virtual reality headsets (Meta Quest, Pico). The instructor controls the session from a standard web browser on a PC, Mac, or tablet. Tailored packages, with or without equipment, are available to facilities.
Yes. Creating a C2Care account is free and provides access to a demonstration scene to explore the training modules before making any commitment.
