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The Effect of Virtual Reality Distraction on Pain Relief During Dressing Changes in Children with Chronic Wounds on
Yun Hua1, Rong Qiu1, Wen-Yan Yao1
1Wuhan Medical Care Center for Women and Children, Hubei, China.
Insights
Virtual reality (VR) distraction significantly reduces pain and anxiety during wound dressing changes in children. This non-pharmacologic intervention offers superior pain relief compared to standard methods, improving clinical efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pain Management
- Non-pharmacologic Interventions
- Virtual Reality Applications
Background:
- Chronic wounds significantly impact pediatric patients, with dressing changes being a major source of pain and anxiety.
- Current pain management strategies primarily focus on pharmacologic approaches and dressing materials.
- The efficacy of non-pharmacologic interventions like virtual reality distraction for pediatric chronic wound pain remains under-investigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality distraction in alleviating pain and anxiety during lower limb chronic wound dressing changes in children.
- To compare the impact of virtual reality distraction versus standard distraction methods on pain, anxiety, and procedure duration.
Main Methods:
- A prospective randomized study was conducted with 65 pediatric patients (aged 4-16 years) with chronic lower limb wounds.
- Pain and anxiety were assessed using the Wong-Baker Faces scale, visual analogue scale, and pain behavior scale.
- Physiological measures (pulse rate, oxygen saturation) and dressing change duration were recorded.
Main Results:
- Virtual reality distraction led to significant reductions in reported pain and anxiety scores compared to standard distraction techniques.
- The duration of the dressing change procedure was notably reduced with virtual reality use.
- Physiological indicators also showed positive trends, suggesting reduced stress during VR intervention.
Conclusions:
- Virtual reality serves as a highly effective non-pharmacologic tool for managing pain and anxiety in pediatric patients undergoing chronic wound dressing changes.
- Implementing VR distraction in pediatric settings can enhance patient comfort and potentially improve procedural efficiency.
- Further research could explore VR's long-term benefits and applicability across different wound types and age groups.
Abstract:
It has been demonstrated that patients with chronic wounds experience the most pain during dressing changes. Currently, researchers focus mostly on analgesics and appropriate dressing materials to relieve pain during dressing changes of chronic wounds. However, the effect of nonpharmacologic interventions, such as virtual reality distraction, on pain management during dressing changes of pediatric chronic wounds remains poorly understood. To investigate the effect of virtual reality distraction on alleviating pain during dressing changes in children with chronic wounds on their lower limbs. A prospective randomized study. A pediatric center in a tertiary hospital. Sixty-five children, aged from 4 to 16 years, with chronic wounds on their lower limbs. Pain and anxiety scores during dressing changes were recorded by using the Wong-Baker Faces picture scale, visual analogue scale, and pain behavior scale, as well as physiological measurements including pulse rate and oxygen saturation. Time length of dressing change was recorded. Virtual reality distraction significantly relieved pain and anxiety scores during dressing changes and reduced the time length for dressing changes as compared to standard distraction methods. The use of virtual reality as a distraction tool in a pediatric ward offered superior pain reduction to children as compared to standard distractions. This device can potentially improve clinical efficiency by reducing length time for dressing changes.
