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Virtual reality distraction for acute pain in children
Veronica Lambert1, Patrick Boylan2, Lorraine Boran2
1School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|October 22, 2020
Summary
Virtual reality (VR) distraction shows limited evidence for reducing acute pain in children. More high-quality trials are needed to confirm its effectiveness and safety in healthcare settings.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pain Management
- Digital Health Interventions
- Evidence-Based Healthcare
Background:
- Virtual reality (VR) technology simulates interactive environments.
- Its effectiveness in alleviating acute pain in children remains uncertain.
- This review assesses VR distraction for pediatric acute pain in healthcare.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of virtual reality (VR) distraction for acute pain in children (0-18 years).
- To identify and assess adverse effects associated with VR interventions.
- To synthesize evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in various healthcare settings.
Main Methods:
- Searched multiple databases (CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO) and trial registries up to October 2019.
- Included 17 RCTs (1008 children) comparing VR distraction to no distraction or non-VR distraction.
- Assessed risk of bias, extracted data, and used GRADE to determine evidence certainty.
Main Results:
- Evidence for VR distraction's effectiveness in reducing acute pain intensity in children is low to very low certainty.
- Pooled data was not possible due to heterogeneity in populations, procedures, and pain levels.
- Some studies indicated benefits for immersive VR, while others found no significant difference; mild adverse effects like nausea were reported in a few cases.
Conclusions:
- The current evidence base for VR distraction in pediatric acute pain is limited and uncertain.
- Further high-quality, large-scale randomized controlled trials are necessary.
- Well-designed future research is crucial to clarify the true benefits and risks of VR for children experiencing acute pain.
