Can virtual reality calm patients down before surgery?

Having major surgery can be an overwhelming experience. Patients often struggle with pre-surgery nerves but may wish to avoid taking sedatives or relaxants. So doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota found a new solution. They gave patients a set of virtual reality (VR) goggles and offered them a 10-minute ‘nature experience’. The clinic ran a trial on 100 patients, giving 50 a tablet and 50 a headset. Self-reported anxiety scores fell with both but more with the VR headset.