• HM CIOCC Madrid offers its patients the possibility of using virtual reality glasses, which will allow them to escape while receiving cancer treatment.
• The virtual reality will allow patients to visit other countries, new cities, ride a Ferris wheel or sit on the beach and simply watch the waves move.
• HM CIOCC Madrid joins the joint initiative of The Ricky Rubio Foundation and AstraZeneca.

The Centro Integral Oncológico Clara Campal HM CIOCC, the oncological commitment of HM Hospitales and the first ‘Cancer Center’ in Spain by number of new patients, joins the joint initiative of The Ricky Rubio Foundation and AstraZeneca to bring virtual reality to cancer patients receiving treatment.

The aim of this initiative is to reduce the stress caused by this situation experienced by people with cancer, as well as making it more bearable. This is explained by Dr. Gema García Ledo, director of the Thoracic Tumors and Central Nervous System Unit at HM CIOCC Madrid, who sees a great opportunity in the use of current technology “virtual reality (VR) offers us great possibilities, and we want to use it to improve the experience of our patients. This is why we have launched this initiative, which offers our oncology patients the possibility of using VR glasses while they are in the oncology day hospital“.

Patients undergoing oncology treatment spend many hours at a time in hospital centers, since chemotherapy infusions require a long period of time to be administered. “Looking for a way to liven up this stay and reduce the anxiety that it can generate in patients, the idea of using virtual reality came up; this novel technology allows them to entertain themselves, as they are immersed in an alternative environment through the use of a comfortably designed technological device to achieve the greatest possible comfort,” explains Ricky Rubio, basketball player and creator and promoter of the Foundation that bears his name, one of whose objectives is “the fight, awareness and prevention of lung cancer.”

“In oncology, everything is lived intensely. Every word, every moment, every experience lived in the hospital, leaves an emotional imprint on patients, positive or negative. At the Centro Integral Oncológico Clara Campal HM CIOCC Madrid we are very aware of this reality and therefore we strive every day to ensure that this imprint is as positive and bearable as possible, within the circumstances,” says Dr. García Ledo.

Virtual reality provides patients with a 360º multisensory immersion experience that, thanks to the use of motion sensors, allows them to interact and become part of the scenes they are viewing. In this way, patients can escape without leaving the hospital. “Patients will be able to choose from a variety of videos that will allow them to travel to other countries, visit new cities, ride a Ferris wheel, sit on the beach and simply watch the sea waves move…. We are convinced that experiencing these moments of calm or fun and, above all, of disconnection during treatment, will have a very positive impact on our patients, by allowing them to associate an a priori stressful experience, such as receiving cancer treatment, with a time of relaxation and happiness,” concludes Dr. Ledo.

“The stay in the hospital while receiving treatment can sometimes last several hours, and patients do not always have the option of being accompanied; hence the importance of being able to have this entertainment alternative. At AstraZeneca we have a commitment to patients, and we are happy to contribute as much as possible to help them feel better and humanize their hospital stay,” says Marta Moreno, Director of Corporate Affairs and Market Access at AstraZeneca.

The Ricky Rubio Foundation and AstraZeneca have released a video explaining this initiative. As reflected in the video, “we had a dream and we have made it come true,” says Ricky Rubio. “Our greatest wish is to contribute to the well-being of cancer patients, and it is a great satisfaction to achieve it,” he says.