An interventional study of immersive VR group and Active control group in Delirium in the Intensive Care Unit, sponsored by Chinese University of Hong Kong. Recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-08.
Sponsored by Chinese University of Hong Kong · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether virtual reality (VR)-based sensory stimulation can help prevent delirium in adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients, compared with an active control condition delivering the same nature-based audiovisual content via a tablet. The main questions it aims to answer are:
Participants will:
Delirium is a common acute neurocognitive disorder in critically ill patients and is associated with poor short- and long-term outcomes, including prolonged ICU stay, extended mechanical ventilation, persistent cognitive impairment, and reduced quality of life after discharge. Environmental factors in the ICU, particularly sensory deprivation and excessive noise and light disturbance, are recognized as modifiable contributors to delirium risk.
Conventional sensory stimulation has shown potential to delay delirium onset and reduce delirium severity in ICU patients. However, implementation in routine ICU practice is challenging because intervention delivery may be disrupted by the complex ICU environment and may vary across clinical staff and settings.
This study evaluates a virtual reality (VR)-based sensory stimulation intervention designed to provide immersive visual and auditory input while reducing interference from the ICU environment. The intervention uses a head-mounted display and headphones to deliver standardized nature-based content. An active control condition was selected to receive the same content through a tablet, allowing comparison of immersive versus non-immersive delivery while controlling for the sensory content itself.
This study is a pilot randomized controlled trial conducted in adult ICU patients. Participants are randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the VR intervention group or the active control group. Both groups receive one 20-minute session daily for up to 3 days during ICU stay. Delirium is assessed twice daily during ICU stay, and participants are followed at 3 months after ICU discharge for cognitive and quality-of-life outcomes. The study is intended to generate preliminary estimates of intervention effects and to inform the design of a future definitive trial.
933 studies on the registry are indexed under Delirium; 190 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 300 is above the median of 112 across 550 interventional studies indexed under Delirium.
Browse Delirium studies →Chinese University of Hong Kong is the lead sponsor of 1,454 studies on the registry; 474 are open to participants now.
Of its 6 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 0 (0%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants received immersive VR-based sensory stimulation delivered through a head-mounted display with over-ear headphones. The intervention consisted of nature-based audiovisual content delivered at the bedside by trained ICU nurses for 20 minutes once daily for up to 3 days.
Device: immersive VR group
Participants received the same nature-based audiovisual content delivered through a tablet-based non-immersive format. Sessions were delivered at the bedside by trained ICU nurses for 20 minutes once daily for up to 3 days.
Behavioral: Active control group
Participants received immersive VR-based sensory stimulation delivered through a head-mounted display with over-ear headphones. The intervention consisted of nature-based audiovisual content delivered at the bedside by trained ICU nurses for 20 minutes once daily for up to 3 days.
Participants received the same nature-based audiovisual content through a tablet in a non-immersive format for 20 minutes once daily for up to 3 days during ICU stay.
Time to First Delirium Event During ICU Stay
Time from study enrollment to the first episode of delirium detected by the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU).
Time frame: Every day, from ICU admission to ICU discharge, assessed up to 28 days
Delirium Incidence
Proportion of participants who developed delirium during ICU stay as assessed by CAM-ICU.
Time frame: Every day, from ICU admission to ICU discharge, assessed up to 28 days
Delirium Duration
Total number of days during which delirium was present during ICU stay.
Time frame: Every day, from ICU admission to ICU discharge, assessed up to 28 days
ICU Length of Stay
Total number of days from ICU admission to ICU discharge.
Time frame: From date of ICU admission until the date of ICU discharge, assessed up to 28 days
Duration of Mechanical Ventilation
Total duration of mechanical ventilation during ICU stay.
Time frame: From date of randomization until the date of first successful liberation from mechanical ventilation or date of in-hospital death, whichever came first, assessed up to 28 days
Cognitive Function at 3 Months
Cognitive function assessed by the telephone-based Montreal Cognitive Assessment (t-MoCA).
Time frame: 3 months after ICU discharge
Health-Related Quality of Life at 3 Months
Health-related quality of life assessed by the EuroQol Five Dimensions Questionnaire (EQ-5D).
Time frame: 3 months after ICU discharge
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