Screening for age-related hearing loss in general practice: feasibility, diagnostic Value, and subsequent care pathways-a pilot study.

Virtual reality (VR) stands as an emerging immersive technology using computer-generated simulations that engage users in virtual worlds. While the current immersive experience primarily involves vision and hearing, ongoing development efforts aim at incorporating additional senses to continually enhance the technology, achieving even more realistic experiences. By the manipulation of the human senses, VR generates dynamic scenarios triggering physiological and psychological responses. VR has progressively solidified its role in advancing medicine, demonstrating promising results across various disciplines. These include medical training, where studies have shown its higher efficacy in training personnel for clinical decision-making and instructing new medical students in orthopedic surgery. Cognitive and motor disease rehabilitation, offering accessibility, comfort (home settings), and promising outcomes. Medical diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders, with convincing evidence in anxiety disorders and posttraumatic stress disorders. The use of VR in stress management is emerging as a promising and engaging tool, showing its potential to be used as a stress regulator. Previous studies have investigated the effects of different virtual mediums on producing emotions and influencing stress levels. Notably, Dr. Giuseppe Riva and his group explored the impact of VR on human emotions, demonstrating how imagery techniques through VR can evoke emotions and a sense of presence in participants. Presence is defined as the sensation of being fully embedded in a virtual world, where the limit between real and virtual disappears. In their study, they presented three VR scenarios (anxious, relaxing, and neutral) to a group of 61 students, measuring their anxiety and presence levels. Their findings indicate that VR is an effective medium for mood induction, capable of eliciting specific emotional states aligned with the VR content.