For Immediate Release Oct. 26, 1998
Kim Irwin, (310) 206-2805 [email protected]
Kambra McConnel [email protected] (310) 206-3769
MEDIA ADVISORY: Event scheduled for Noon on Oct. 26 at UCLA. Limited space is available for media representatives to experience the fatigue simulator. Call for reservations.
DOCTORS, NURSES AT UCLA'S JONSSON CANCER CENTER TO WALK IN CANCER PATIENTS' SHOES USING VIRTUAL REALITY SIMULATOR
Oncology physicians and nurses at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center will experience the extreme fatigue their patients feel during a unique training session Monday, Oct. 26, using a virtual reality simulator that lets health care workers walk in a cancer patient's shoes.
Called "In My Steps," the virtual reality fatigue simulator mimics the debilitating fatigue that plagues about 78 percent of cancer patients due to chemotherapy and other treatment. The visit to UCLA's Cancer Center kicks off the Los Angeles portion of an educational tour that will take the device to treatment facilities throughout the country.
"Anytime we can get the staff to understand how a patient is feeling, we'll be able to take better care of that patient," said Sheila Stinnett, nurse manager of the UCLA Bowyer Oncology Center, where cancer patients are treated. "If I'm tired, I can go to bed and I'll wake up and be fine. Cancer patients can't get rid of that tired feeling so easily. I hope this will generate more empathy for our patients."
About 73 percent of cancer patients list fatigue as their most debilitating side effect related to treatment, but few discuss it with their oncologists and nurses, cancer experts say. In a recent survey of patients, about half said they experience extreme fatigue on most days.
Developed with the assistance of cancer patients and health care professionals, the fatigue simulator employs the latest interactive computer technology to create a world in which even the most routine household chores can prompt exhaustion.
To experience cancer-related fatigue, users sit in a specially designed chair with movable foot pads and wear a helmet that provides an audio and visual re-creation of the interior of a two-story home. Moving from room to room during a 15-minute virtual visit, users attempt to perform everyday activities -- such as making tea or answering the door -- that become increasingly difficult to complete. The simulation is designed to convey the slow pace and teeth-grinding frustration that a majority of fatigued cancer patients feel when they attempt even the simplest tasks.
"We think we understand, but most of us have never been there," Stinnett said. "Even your hair gets tired."
Fatigue remains one of the most overlooked and under-treated side effects of cancer, according to a 1997 nationwide survey of about 800 cancer patients, oncologists and caregivers. Fatigue effects a patient's ability to work, meet family needs and cope with the disease, the survey stated.
"For many patients, fatigue is a daily reminder that they have cancer," said Dr. Nicholas Vogelzang, author of the survey and a professor of medicine at the University of Chicago. "If we can control or lessen its effects, we go a long way toward restoring a sense of normalcy to patients' lives."
More than 60 percent cancer patients said fatigue interferes with work, while about 50 percent were unable to perform routine daily activities, the survey stated. About 29 percent of respondents reported difficulty getting out of bed.
"Patients can cope better if they're not exhausted all the time," UCLA's Stinnett said. "This simulator gives us a chance to walk in their shoes and really understand so we can do something about it."
Dozens of UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center oncologists and nurses are expected to go through the virtual reality fatigue simulator during the day-long event, Stinnett said.
Cancer-related fatigue, usually caused by anemia, has traditionally been treated with blood transfusions. However, medications that stimulate red blood cell production offer an alternative to transfusions. Proper nutrition, vitamin supplements, lifestyle modifications and psychological counseling also may help alleviate fatigue, experts say.
The fatigue simulator is funded by a grant from Ortho Biotech Inc., the biotechnology subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.
-UCLA-
EDITOR'S NOTE: UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center Nurse Manager Sheila Stinnett will be available for interviews after going through the fatigue simulator. Beta b-roll also is available of the virtual reality simulation.
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