Virtual Reality Training for Post-Earthquake Rescue Operators.

Urban Search And Rescue (USAR) personnel need to be appropriately trained to effectively operate in post-disaster conditions, as they need to quickly identify locations where the presence of survivors is more likely. Currently, the training procedure for this kind of triage is based on showing static pictures presenting different types of building collapses accompanied by cards providing additional environmental information. This article presents VRescue, a simulator for training USAR operators using the paradigm of immersive virtual reality (VR). VRescue recreates a range of operation conditions (day/night, presence of people, dangerous locations, etc.) experienced by real rescuers, and enables learning the use of the equipment commonly used in such scenarios.

Comparison between Standard Expository Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT-E) and Immersive Virtual Reality CBT (CBT-VR) for Rehabilitation of Patients Affected by Occupational Stress Disorders: Study Protocol.

Work-related stress presents a significant impact on work performance and physical health. It has been associated with the onset of a multitude of symptoms that can lead to occupational stress diseases, namely Adjustment Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The literature has evidenced that "exposure therapy" of cognitive-behavioral training (CBT-E) seems to be the most effective technique to manage stress symptoms, including work stress diseases, and several studies have considered Virtual Reality (VR) as an adjuvant tool to exposure-based psychotherapy (CBT-VR) for the treatment of multiple psychiatric disorders. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of CBT with exposure to stressful work scenarios in imaginative (CBT-E) and in immersive virtual reality (CBT-VR) scenarios in a group of workers affected by work-related stress disorders and compare the clinical and physiological outcomes between the two exposure techniques. A long-term goal would be to develop an evidence-based rehabilitation program as a treatment for the reintegration into work of patients affected by these psychiatric disorders.