Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Mental health difficulties such as anxiety and distress are commonly experienced before and after surgery. For some, surgery may be traumatic and can cause symptoms of posttraumatic stress. Given that elective surgeries are scheduled in advanced, this provides a unique opportunity for preventative interventions to target poor mental health outcomes. The primary objective of this research is to scientifically evaluate the effectiveness of a virtual reality (VR) simulation prior to surgery on mental health outcomes. This simulation is informed by the military literature on pre-deployment interventions, and will mirror the pre-surgical experience for patients, from arrival at the hospital up until anesthetic induction in the operating room. A series of two study methodologies will evaluate the primary objective of this research: (1) a randomized controlled trial will assess whether a novel VR pre-surgical simulation of surgery, compared to treatment as usual, can help reduce mental health difficulties throughout the surgical period and (2) qualitative interviews will examine a subset of participants' perceptions of this intervention and the impact it had on their experience throughout the surgical period. I hypothesize that individuals who participate in the VR simulation of surgery will experience fewer mental health difficulties before and after surgery compared to individuals who do not participate in the intervention. This research will help health providers understand whether and how a pre-surgical VR simulation of surgery is effective in reducing mental health difficulties throughout the surgical period. If results support the effectiveness of this intervention, this research will inform future larger replication studies and studies evaluating whether this intervention can also improve physical health outcomes throughout the surgical period. Ultimately, results of this research may inform changes to standard of care throughout the surgical period.