Piloting Virtual Reality Environments to Treat PTSD in Healthcare Workers

Part of paid clinical trials in New York, New York.

Sponsor
Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Study ID
NCT04887116
Phase
EARLY_PHASE1
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy — BEHAVIORAL
    Ten ninety minute sessions of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy twice a week for five weeks, either remotely or in person.

Study Details

Healthcare workers and COVID-19 patients may experience psychological distress consequent to the pandemic, and are at particularly elevated risk for experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), based on evidence from previous infectious disease outbreaks. The best-validated treatment for PTSD is exposure therapy. Exposure therapy help patients suffering from PTSD to revisit and overcome their traumatic experiences. Including virtual reality in exposure therapy has a long history in treating PTSD; and has been used to treat military veterans and first-responders following 9/11. The investigators are developing and testing a virtual environment to treat PTSD including sub threshold PTSD symptoms in HCWs who experience occupational related trauma (e.g., working with COVID-19 patients) and COVID-19 patients. An independent evaluator will assess symptoms of PTSD and other psychopathology, using structured clinical interviews and self-report measures with well-established psychometric properties, at baseline, halfway through treatment, after completion of treatment, and at three-months post-treatment. Participants will complete ten ninety minute sessions (in-person or remotely), twice a week for five weeks aimed at mitigating their symptoms of PTSD. Remote participants will receive VR headsets after the baseline assessment and will keep them for the duration of the study. The pilot study will aim to demonstrate the feasibility and the tolerability of the virtual reality intervention in these populations.

Key Dates

Start date
Oct 5, 2023
Status verified
Oct 2025
Primary completion
Jan 31, 2027
Completion
Jan 31, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment
20 participants (estimated)
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Experimental: Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy
    Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

Primary Outcome Measure

Change in Clinician Administered PTSD Score (CAPS-V) [ Time Frame: Baseline to approximately five weeks ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
Weill Cornell MedicineNew YorkNew York10065
Isabelle McLeod Daphnis, BS
[email protected]
301-825-6016
JoAnn Difede, PhD (PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR)

Find similar trials in New York, NY

By condition
PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)
By specialty
PsychiatryMental healthBehavioral health
By research site
Weill Cornell Medicine· New York, NY

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