VR escapes tested for dying Patients' anxiety
NCT ID NCT05466123
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 08, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This Mayo Clinic study tests whether virtual reality (VR) can reduce anxiety, depression, and emotional distress in people receiving palliative care. Twenty terminally ill patients with a year or less to live will use VR to visit simulated travel destinations or activities they can no longer access. The study measures changes in anxiety and distress using standard questionnaires.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Virtual reality (simulated travel or activities)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a drug-free way to ease anxiety and emotional distress for people receiving palliative care.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study with only 20 people, so results may not apply broadly. The effect may be small or temporary.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2023
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria; * A terminal or end-stage condition with an expected prognosis of a year or less. * An established palliative care patient. * English-speaking. * Able to wear virtual reality equipment (goggles, etc.). * Subject or Caregiver able to provide consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Younger than 18 years of age. * Lack of a prognosis of approximately 1 year or less.
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Mayo Clinic Florida
Jacksonville, Florida, 32224, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Training healthcare teams to see the whole person behind the illness