A Comparison between the Use of Patient-worn Virtual Reality in Wound Care and Hand Surgery: How Does Virtual Reality...

Area of Science:

• Medical Technology
• Pain Management
• Psychological Medicine

Background:

• Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly utilized to mitigate patient pain and anxiety during medical procedures.
• Its effectiveness may vary depending on the clinical setting and patient anxiety levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of VR on patient-reported pain, anxiety, and enjoyment in two distinct clinical environments.
• To explore potential mechanisms underlying VR's effects on pain and anxiety reduction.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, singly blinded study involving 25 wound care patients assigned to VR or non-VR groups.
• Anxiety, fun, and pain scores were collected using a Likert scale during routine wound debridement.
• Results were compared between VR and non-VR groups and with prior data from awake hand surgery patients.

Main Results:

• VR significantly reduced anxiety and increased fun in patients undergoing awake hand surgery (WALANT) compared to the non-VR group.
• In wound debridement, VR improved fun but did not yield statistically significant reductions in pain or anxiety.
• Anxiety scores were notably higher in awake hand surgery patients than in wound debridement patients.

Conclusions:

• VR appears more effective in managing patient experience in higher anxiety settings.
• A potential neurological mechanism involves VR influencing the anxiety axis via cortical pathways to the amygdala, possibly related to gate control theory.