Virtual reality boosts CER Leblon into a unit with health 4.0.

“It feels like I’m in Curitiba!” A 360º virtual reality headset transported Antônio Santiago Pereira, a patient hospitalized at CER Leblon (Regional Emergency Coordination), in Gávea, to the southern region of Brazil. Pedaling his bicycle, seeing mountains and the river, he was in another, relaxing reality, outside the hospital environment. This world-renowned scientific technology is being used in the unit to assist in physical rehabilitation, delirium prevention, and the humanization of patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Like Antônio, more than 60 patients have already experienced the virtual reality equipment at the unit. With successful cases of its applicability in clinical protocols from university hospitals in countries such as Germany, the United States, Canada, and Japan, the tool has helped to make the experience of hospitalized patients at CER Leblon more pleasant. Contributing to a more practical and functional flow of the unit's hospitalization cycle, the approach is an ally for healthcare professionals in providing clinical advancements and contributing to hospital discharge.

– It felt like I was at home, not here in the hospital. It's been a long time since I rode a bicycle; I don't have the same steadiness as before. It reminded me of a time when I used to travel to Curitiba, taking the bus from Rio and passing through São Paulo until I reached the South. I felt good – said Antônio, from Paraíba and a resident of Jacarepaguá, who was admitted to the CER Leblon with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was monitored by a specialized medical team and regained his independence with the help of glasses. The patient was discharged from the hospital.

From physical exercises for balance to cognitive simulations for spatial-temporal orientation, the management team, together with the physiotherapy area, studied how to implement virtual reality glasses in the hospital routine. From testing to authorization of its use, the advantages stood out and motivated the unit to use virtual reality in the internal project called Delirium Reduction, aimed at patients who begin to show clinical signs of disorientation or confusion. The director of CER Leblon, Berguer Guimarães, points out that there is evidence that virtual reality is effective in reducing the incidence and duration of hospital delirium, especially in intensive care units, by providing controlled cognitive, sensory, and motor stimuli.

– From a scientific point of view, studies show that virtual reality improves patient engagement, promotes neuroplasticity, and accelerates functional recovery. The use of virtual reality activates motor and sensory areas of the brain more intensely than conventional exercises, in addition to promoting greater adherence to therapies. This tool, used in physical rehabilitation, contributes to balance training, improved motor performance and cardiovascular function, especially in elderly patients or those undergoing post-operative rehabilitation – explained Berguer.

For a patient to begin using virtual reality, they undergo an evaluation by the physiotherapy and medical team who, based on their profile and health status, will recommend whether or not the use of the headset is appropriate. Those who are awake, alert, and cooperative, free from respiratory isolation, and able to sit on the edge of the bed with trunk control are eligible to enter the world of virtual reality with themes ranging from an amusement park; a relaxing river; a waterfall; rafting (the practice of descending rapids in inflatable boats); cycling; a trip to the United Arab Emirates; among other options. The team pays attention to certain interruption criteria, such as average blood pressure lower than 65 mmHg or higher than 110 mmHg and elevated heart rate.

The first patient to put on virtual reality glasses was Clébio da Silva. Having lived with a heart murmur (an additional noise in the heartbeat) since birth, his condition worsened, and he was hospitalized in the unit. The longing for life outside is intense and deeply moving.

"It's been a while since I've seen the sky, the sun, and the street. I put on my glasses and saw some mountains, streams, and even turtles. I looked up and admired the sky. All of this reminded me of my life outside of here, of my routine. You feel calm and amazed, it helps you a lot to relax," shared Clébio, who was transferred via state regulation to undergo valve replacement surgery at a specialized cardiology unit, a procedure in which a diseased heart valve is replaced with a prosthesis.

The CER Leblon is a unit that has been investing in healthcare 4.0, combining technology and care, and aims to inspire new technological protocols in the municipal network. Just visiting the unit reveals televisions displaying real-time information; tablets that allow video calls between patients and their families separated by geographical distance; and an artificial intelligence system called RAFA that uses sounds and images to replicate what the patient wants to express to the multidisciplinary team. The Miguel Couto Municipal Hospital, located next to CER Leblon, has also begun testing virtual reality glasses in its routine.

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9 January 2026

Appointments: CER Leblon CTI Virtual reality glasses virtual reality health 4.0