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Virtual Reality Distraction for Needle-Related Pain and Distress in Children: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled
Marcin Czub1, Elena R Serrano-Ibáñez2, Joanna Piskorz1
1Institute of Psychology, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland.
Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking
|April 16, 2024
Summary
Virtual reality (VR) and non-VR games equally reduce children's needle pain and anxiety during blood draws. This finding suggests costly VR equipment isn't essential for effective distraction in pediatric care.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pain Management
- Medical Technology Evaluation
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Needle-related procedures cause significant pain and anxiety in children.
- Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly explored as a distraction tool for pediatric pain.
- Evidence comparing VR to non-VR distraction for procedural pain is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effectiveness of VR distraction versus an identical non-VR game in reducing pain and anxiety in children during venous blood draws.
- To evaluate child distress, attention, and satisfaction with the procedure across VR, non-VR, and control groups.
- To provide evidence-based recommendations for using VR in pediatric clinical settings.
Main Methods:
- International multicenter randomized controlled trial involving 304 children aged 5-9 years.
- Three groups: VR distraction, identical non-VR distraction (smartphone/monitor), and control (usual care).
- Distraction based on Multiple Object Tracking (MOT) paradigm; primary outcome: self-reported pain (Faces Pain Scale-Revised).
Main Results:
- Both VR and non-VR distraction groups showed significantly large effect sizes in pain reduction compared to the control group.
- No statistically significant difference in pain reduction or anxiety levels was found between the VR and non-VR distraction groups.
- Secondary outcomes, including child distress and satisfaction, also showed similar effectiveness between VR and non-VR interventions.
Conclusions:
- VR distraction and non-VR distraction are equally effective in mitigating needle-related pain and anxiety in children during blood draws.
- The findings suggest that advanced VR technology may not be necessary, and simpler non-VR methods can achieve comparable pain management outcomes.
- This study provides crucial insights for healthcare providers, indicating cost-effective distraction strategies can be implemented without compromising procedural pain relief for children.
