» Articles » PMID: 36269222

Disinfection of Virtual Reality Devices in Health Care Settings: In Vitro Assessment and Survey Study

Abstract

Background: Virtual reality (VR) devices are increasingly used in health care settings. The use among patients has the potential to unintentionally transmit pathogens between patients and hospital staff. No standard operating procedure for disinfection exists to ensure safe use between patients.

Objective: This study aims to determine the efficacy of disinfectants on VR devices in order to ensure safe use in health care settings.

Methods: Three types of bacteria were inoculated onto porous and nonporous surfaces of 2 VR devices: the Meta Oculus Quest and Meta Oculus Quest 2. Disinfection was performed using either isopropyl alcohol or alcohol-free quaternary ammonium wipes. A quantitative culture was used to assess the adequacy of disinfection. A survey was separately sent out to VR device technicians at other pediatric health care institutes to compare the methods of disinfection and how they were established.

Results: Both products achieved adequate disinfection of the treated surfaces; however, a greater log-kill was achieved on nonporous surfaces than on the porous surfaces. Alcohol performed better than quaternary ammonium on porous surfaces. The survey respondents reported a wide variability in disinfection processes with only 1 person reporting an established standard operating procedure.

Conclusions: Disinfection can be achieved through the use of either isopropyl alcohol or quaternary ammonium products. Porous surfaces showed lesser log-kill rates than the nonporous surfaces, indicating that the use of an added barrier may be of benefit and should be a point of future research. Given the variability in the disinfection process across health care systems, a standard operating procedure is proposed.

Citing Articles

Extended Reality Head-Mounted Displays Are Likely to Pose a Significant Risk in Medical Settings While Current Classification Remains as Non-Critical.

Goldsworthy A, Olsen M, Koh A, Demaneuf T, Singh G, Almheiri R Microorganisms. 2024; 12(4).

PMID: 38674759 PMC: 11052361. DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12040815.


Use of Immersive Virtual Reality Spaces to Engage Adolescent and Young Adult Patients With Cancer in Therapist-Guided Support Groups: Protocol for a Pre-Post Study.

Marks A, Garbatini A, Hieftje K, Puthenpura V, Weser V, Fernandes C JMIR Res Protoc. 2023; 12:e48761.

PMID: 37943596 PMC: 10667982. DOI: 10.2196/48761.


Extended Reality Use in Paediatric Intensive Care: A Scoping Review.

Goldsworthy A, Chawla J, Baumann O, Birt J, Gough S J Intensive Care Med. 2023; 38(9):856-877.

PMID: 37437084 PMC: 10503262. DOI: 10.1177/08850666231185721.

References
1.
Rutala W, Weber D . Disinfection and Sterilization in Health Care Facilities: An Overview and Current Issues. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2021; 35(3):575-607. DOI: 10.1016/j.idc.2021.04.004. View

2.
Rothbaum B . Using virtual reality to help our patients in the real world. Depress Anxiety. 2009; 26(3):209-11. DOI: 10.1002/da.20556. View

3.
Rothbaum B, Price M, Jovanovic T, Norrholm S, Gerardi M, Dunlop B . A randomized, double-blind evaluation of D-cycloserine or alprazolam combined with virtual reality exposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans. Am J Psychiatry. 2014; 171(6):640-8. PMC: 4115813. DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.13121625. View

4.
Eijlers R, Utens E, Staals L, de Nijs P, Berghmans J, Wijnen R . Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Virtual Reality in Pediatrics: Effects on Pain and Anxiety. Anesth Analg. 2019; 129(5):1344-1353. PMC: 6791566. DOI: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000004165. View

5.
Solca M, Ronchi R, Bello-Ruiz J, Schmidlin T, Herbelin B, Luthi F . Heartbeat-enhanced immersive virtual reality to treat complex regional pain syndrome. Neurology. 2018; 91(5):e479-e489. DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000005905. View