Effect of Virtual Reality on Pediatric Pain and Fear During Procedures Involving Needles: Systematic Review and...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Pain Management
• Medical Technology Integration
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Needle-based procedures like vaccinations and blood draws can induce significant pain and fear in children.
• Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly explored as a non-pharmacological intervention for pain and anxiety management in pediatric care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze existing evidence on the efficacy of virtual reality (VR) for pain and fear reduction in children undergoing needle procedures.
• To compare the effectiveness of VR distraction against standard care techniques.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs.
• Inclusion criteria: participants under 21 years undergoing needle procedures with VR as the primary distraction, and pain as the primary outcome.
• Databases searched: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library. Study quality assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) and Jadad scale.

Main Results:

• Twenty-one studies were included in the systematic review, with ten contributing to the meta-analysis. Most studies reported low methodological quality.
• Virtual reality (VR) intervention demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in children's reported pain (IV -2.37, P<.001) and fear (IV -1.26, P<.001) compared to control groups.
• Participant and healthcare personnel blinding limitations were noted, impacting overall study quality.

Conclusions:

• Despite methodological limitations and low study quality, virtual reality (VR) is an effective distraction tool for mitigating pain and fear in pediatric patients during needle-based procedures.
• Further high-quality research is warranted to confirm these findings and optimize VR implementation in clinical settings.