How a Montreal hospital is using VR and music to transform patient care – Montreal

Ginette Thomas went to St. Mary’s hospital on Wednesday for a routine doctor’s appointment, but what she experienced went far beyond that.

Within seconds, she was somewhere else entirely — inside a fully immersive virtual reality concert.

“It’s relaxing,” said Thomas. “It makes you let go of everything and go somewhere else.”

The virtual reality concert project aims to demonstrate the potential — and benefits — of musical intervention in a health-care environment.

Led by geriatrician and researcher, Dr. Julia Chabot, and featuring the work of internationally renowned Quebec pianist and composer Alexandra Stréliski, the project is meant to explore how immersive experiences and music can reduce stress, pain and improve emotional health.

“We did a small pilot project with virtual reality concerts, before doing the one with Alexandra Stréliski, we did mini concerts to try it and see if it worked with our patients,” said Chabot. “And patients who received the virtual reality intervention as opposed to our control room reported less pain.

The heart of the experience is music designed to emotionally move patients, both emotionally and physically, out of their surroundings.

“It transports you for 10-15 minutes and that’s really powerful, if you’re in a hospital room or if you’re in pain every day,” she said. “I think it can alleviate a little bit.”

Chatbot hopes the project is just the tip of the iceberg.

The goal is to expand the project throughout the entire hospital within the year and bring in more musicians, genres and, Chabot says, hopefully more hospitals.

“I can prescribe medications to patients but there’s nothing that I can give to patients that will have such an instant effect, that they’ll say ‘Wow, that made me feel really, really good,’” said Chabot.

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