Bethany K. Bracken1, Phillip C. Desrochers1, Ian McAbee1, Nicolette M. McGeorge1, Susan Latiff1, Bradly T. Stone1, Dan T. Duggan1, Corinne Cather2, and A. Eden Evins2
Presented at BIOSTEC 2025. 18th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies (February 2025)
Nicotine vaping is a global problem. Limited vaping cessation interventions are available; and current treatments have limited accessibility due to systemic barriers to care (e.g., scarcity of treaters). Digital therapeutics (DTx) can reduce these barriers. We have embedded standard cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) content into virtual reality (VR) to create a VR-based app focused on vaping cessation: Novel, On-demand VR for Accessible, Practical, and Engaging therapy (NO VAPE). NO VAPE allows users to practice CBT skills gained in traditional therapy through an accessible, immersive, and engaging platform. Our ultimate goal is to conduct a full clinical trial to test whether NO VAPE motivates greater intervention adherence and satisfaction. To prepare, we conducted a usability study with N = 6 young adults who currently vape, aiming to evaluate safety, usability, and overall enjoyment of NO VAPE. We categorized errors into categories in ascending severity from minor usability errors to safety violations. There were no safety violations by any participants providing evidence that the app is low-risk and safe (from a software use perspective, not a substance use perspective). Participant reported high levels of enjoyment, said they would like to use NO VAPE again, and did not experience symptoms of simulator sickness. We also identified multiple software bugs we are now addressing
1 Charles River Analytics
2 Center for Addiction Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital
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