On June 1, 2026, we attended “Virtuelle Simulation im pflegerischen Alltag” (“Virtual Simulation in Everyday Nursing Care”), the first event of its kind hosted by Wirtschaftsförderung Kreis Soest (wfg) at Klinikum Lippstadt. Around 20 nursing companies, care providers, and universities from South Westphalia came together to exchange ideas on digital technologies for the future of nursing care.
The event is part of the wfg's larger initiative “Transformation der Pflegewirtschaft Südwestfalen” (“Transformation of the Nursing Economy in South Westphalia”), co-financed by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the European Union — and for us, it was a rare chance to see immersive technology already in clinical use outside our own lab.
VR in the Operating Room
At the center of the event was a virtual reality application already in use in Klinikum Lippstadt's operating rooms. Patients undergoing procedures under local or twilight anesthesia (Teilnarkose) can wear a VR headset and immerse themselves in calming environments — from quiet nature scenes to gentle animal sounds — while the procedure takes place.
According to the hospital's own evaluations, the effect is measurable: patients report less anxiety ahead of their operation, and average heart rate during the procedure is positively affected. Nursing staff Marion Gottbrath and Monika Cilensek described how the application can make surgery noticeably more comfortable for patients while also easing the burden on nursing teams.
Attendees, including our team, were able to try the headset themselves and experience the calming environments firsthand — a useful reminder that the most convincing argument for immersive technology in healthcare is often simply putting the headset on.
Where This Connects to Our Own Research
Klinikum Lippstadt's approach sits within a research direction we follow closely at the Immersive Reality Lab: using XR and biosensor-supported methods to reduce stress and anxiety in clinical and care settings. Our own BGF Pflege project, for example, worked on digital assessment tools to identify and reduce health burdens for staff and residents in long-term nursing facilities.
More broadly, exposure- and calming-oriented applications like the one shown at Klinikum Lippstadt fall under a research focus area we describe as XR and AI in therapy and diagnostics — from exposure training to cognitive support.
Why Regional Exchange Matters
Events like this one are valuable precisely because they are not academic conferences. They bring hospital staff, care providers, technology developers, and researchers into the same room, comparing notes on what actually works at the bedside rather than only in the lab.
For applied XR research, that kind of direct feedback from clinical practice is hard to replace — it shapes which problems are worth solving and which technical details actually matter for patients and staff.
A Small Event With a Clear Message
The message from Klinikum Lippstadt was simple: immersive technology does not need to be complex to make a difference. A VR headset, a calming environment, and a few minutes can measurably ease a stressful moment in someone's day.
We look forward to more exchanges like this one across the region — and to seeing how digital simulation continues to find its place in everyday nursing and care.
First published on the Immersive Reality Lab blog.