Exploring the use of XR technology to combat stress and burnout in mental health professionals, improving wellbeing and empowering them to deliver optimal patient care.

The Concept

Innovate UK has invested £3.2 million to improve mental health services, funding 24 projects that are developing immersive digital mental health therapeutics. The funding stems from Innovate UK’s £20 million Mindset programme, and this specific grant was Mindset XR round 2.

This grant was applied for in collaboration with the University of Plymouth. This project is being accomplished in association with the Plymouth Centre for Technology, Cornwall Partnerships NHS Trust and Livewell Southwest. 

Dr Michael Loizou, Associate Professor in Digital Health at the University of Plymouth approached us to collaboratively develop immersive scenarios that targeted stress reduction in medical health professionals. The project would further by supported by the expertise of Dr John Downey, Lecturer in Digital Health at the University of Plymouth. 

ExR’s involvement in the Innovate UK programme sat under the ‘Feasibility Projects’ branch and our study is noted as ‘XR solutions for the wellbeing of community mental health teams’. This study looks to explore the use of XR technology to combat stress and burnout in mental health professionals, improving wellbeing, and empowering them to deliver optimal patient care.

The Stemming Issue of Workplace Stress

Work-related stress is a stemming issue in the NHS, with the 2022 NHS annual survey revealing that 44.8% of staff report feeling unwell as a result of work-related stress. The workforce is strained due to the high workload they are expected to consistently deliver, the challenging conditions they work in, and the limited resources that place greater strain on their output. The implications of staff burnout are magnified in mental health professionals as staff 

• are at an increased risk of assault,
• care for people who lead complex lives, 
• have to navigate both the preferences of a patient whilst ensuring mental requirements are met.

It is widely known that mental health staff experience greater compassion fatigue and attrition. These outcomes are amplified in community mental health teams as they experience unique challenges stemming from the changes in the mental health workforce; notably in 2010 where sub-specialities were given primacy. The fallout of these changes has led to a lack of integration, tending to service users with high chronicity, working across the spectrum of care and dimensions of wellbeing, and ultimately higher levels of burnout and staff turnover. 

Supporting the Wellbeing of Mental Health Professionals 

This stress felt by mental health professionals has a ripple effect on their health and the quality of care they can provide patients. Workplace interventions are urgently needed to support the wellbeing of community mental health teams. Employee wellbeing in healthcare must be an organisational movement, as such, effective, accessible, and pragmatic interventions are needed. 

XR (extend reality) is an emerging tool that is becoming recognised as an effective way to implement a wellbeing strategy. As an emerging area the literature, is embryonic and diverse. Right now, it is unknown what delivery formats healthcare professionals prefer, or which immersive technology supports wellbeing best. The innovation of the project resides in the co-development of XR applications with mental health professionals in the community and the subsequent testing of the feasibility, acceptability, and impact of XR applications on workplace stress. The insights garnered will also be underpinned by behavioural theory which is often lacking in digital innovations hindering their ability to demonstrate credibility.

The Application of XR for Workplace Stress

Co-creation is the foundation of our solution, and this project will bring together the expertise of the University of Plymouth team to give crucial knowledge into the needs of medical health professionals and combine this with our XR expertise to deliver an immersive experience that will focus on stress reduction for a very specific audience. 

For this project and subsequent study, we are looking to build a prototype relaxation project for mental health workers to use a couple of times a day. The content of the immersive environment will be a guided reflection and meditation to take mental health professionals away from their stressful environment and look to lower their stress levels during this period. 

“We had tested ExR’s previous VR films via the platform and were impressed by the breadth and depth of their immersive scenarios. It is great to collaborate with a company that, in addition to providing innovative technologies, really cares about what they do and strives to improve the lives of patients, carers , and healthcare professionals.”

Dr Michael Loizou

“The ExR team are great people who are astute characters, have a real passion for innovation, and demonstrate expertise in the field.”

Dr John Downey

The project will come to a close in October following an evaluation that will investigate the application and viability of extended reality in helping alleviate workplace stress amongst mental health professionals.