Parental Voices on Virtual Reality in Pediatric Oncology: Experiences, Needs, and Pathways for Co-Design

Charlotte Hélie,1,2 Jade Véronneau,1,3 Orly Desjardins,1,2 Léa Barada,1,2 Julie Lebeau,1 David Ogez1,4 1Research Center, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; 2Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; 3Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Quebec in Outaouais, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada; 4Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, CanadaCorrespondence: David Ogez, Research Center, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, 5415, boulevard de l’Assomption, Montréal, Québec, H1T 2M4, Canada, Tel +1 514 252-3400 X 4443, Email [email protected]: Pediatric cancer treatments significantly affect children’s physical, emotional, and social well-being. Virtual reality (VR) is emerging as a promising non-pharmacological tool to enhance quality of life during hospitalization, yet little is known about parents perceive its potential role in supportive care.Methods: This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with five parents of children in remission from cancer. It explored their experiences during chemotherapy and their perspectives on how VR could help support children and families during treatment.Results: Parents described multiple challenges during hospitalization, including emotional distress, physical side effects, social isolation, logistical difficulties, and communication issues. While most had limited prior exposure to VR, they expressed openness toward its use to reduce anxiety, boredom, and loneliness. Parents emphasized that VR should complement, not replace, human interaction, and suggested age-specific applications, interactive content for adolescent and calming, passive experiences for younger children.Discussion: This study provides novel insights by integrating parental voices early in the co-design process of VR interventions for pediatric oncology. It identifies concrete psychosocial needs and offers recommendations to ensure future digital tools are developmentally appropriate and family-centered. While the small, homogeneous sample and absence of child participants limit generalizability, the in-depth qualitative approach offers valuable groundwork for future participatory research and VR intervention development in pediatric cancer care.Plain Language Summary: When a child is hospitalized for cancer treatment, it can be a stressful experience for the entire family. Children often experience fear, loneliness, and pain. Their parents also face emotional and practical challenges, such as long hospital stays, lack of sleep, and concerns about their child’s well-being. In this study, we interviewed five parents whose children had undergone chemotherapy and were now in remission. We asked them to share what they went through during the treatment and how they feel about using virtual reality (VR) as a support tool for children during hospitalization. The parents described many difficulties their children faced: physical side effects, anxiety, boredom, and being cut off from school and friends. They also spoke about their own struggles, including emotional exhaustion and communication problems with hospital staff. Despite having little experience with VR, most parents were open to using it during treatment. They saw VR as a possible way to reduce anxiety, help children relax, and even keep in touch with friends. However, they were clear that VR should not replace human contact. Parents suggested ideas like calming virtual nature scenes for young children, or interactive games for teenagers. Their input helps us understand how to design VR tools that are both useful and acceptable for families. This study highlights the importance of involving parents in the development of new health technologies. By listening to their experiences, we can create better tools to support children with cancer and their families.Keywords: pediatric oncology, chemotherapy, parental experiences, virtual reality, supportive care, qualitative research, thematic analysis