Abstract: Palliative care is a clinical treatment approach targeted at patients with severe illnesses and their families. Through early and precise assessment, it delivers effective management of pain and other symptoms, addresses physical, social, psychological and spiritual needs, and aims to alleviate and prevent suffering among patients and their relatives. With the accelerated aging of China’s population, the demand for palliative care has risen markedly. As an emerging digital non-pharmacological intervention, virtual reality (VR) technology distracts patients via virtual scenarios to relieve discomfort, and has been widely applied in rehabilitation management for various diseases. Relevant explorations integrating VR with palliative care have been carried out overseas, whereas clinical practices in this field remain immature domestically. This article systematically reviews the progress in the application of VR technology, both domestically and internationally, for four types of non-cancerous diseases—chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD), cardiovascular disease, dementia, and end-stage renal disease—and provides an in-depth discussion of the current efficacy of these applications and the challenges that remain. Future research should focus on developing standardized diagnostic and treatment protocols, establishing multidisciplinary collaborative care mechanisms, and continuously optimizing and promoting the application of VR technology in palliative care for non-cancer patients.

Key words: virtual reality technology, palliative care, non-cancer diseases