In a comprehensive review, the World Health Organization highlights the health benefits of art: it can prevent, manage, and treat diseases by improving mental well-being and reducing anxiety and depression (Fancourt & Finn, 2020). Indeed, the presence of artworks in hospitals helps reduce stress, foster social interaction, and provide positive distraction. In this context, recent studies have used virtual reality systems to enhance the positive effects of art in hospitals and outpatient clinics. For example, in the field of neurological rehabilitation, virtual art-therapy protocols have proven effective in reducing the perceived fatigue experienced by patients during rehabilitative practices, a phenomenon known as the “Michelangelo Effect” (Iosa et al., 2021; De Giorgi et al., 2023). Furthermore, participants experience a sense of presence in immersive virtual environments, as if they were not in a clinical setting (Tieri et al., 2018). Despite a potential improvement in patients’ quality of life through the multisensory experience of virtual reality, there is a lack of protocols for patients with chronic kidney disease and oncology patients, patologies which involve frequent visits to the care environment and instrument-based clinical procedures.
Given these premises, the present study aims to examine the well-being that may arise from the virtual visit of artistic and archaeological works in patients undergoing chemotherapy or dialysis, specifically to assess whether it may reduce stress and potentially increase confidence, compared with sessions conducted without aesthetic experiences in a virtual reality context.
The study protocol involves a single session of a task that includes exposure to visual stimuli delivered through a virtual reality (VR) headset. Simultaneously, brain activity (via a mobile EEG headset) and skin conductance will be recorded to assess cognitive load, engagement, and emotional state. Approximately 28 participants are expected to be recruited: one group of 14 oncology patients undergoing chemotherapy sessions and one group of 14 patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis sessions.
