Modernizing ED Care: Virtual Reality Enhances the Patient Experience during Minor Wide-awake Hand Procedures

Area of Science:

• Medical technology
• Patient experience
• Emergency medicine

Background:

• Minor procedures in the emergency department (ED) can cause patient distress.
• Virtual reality (VR) offers immersive experiences to potentially alleviate this distress.
• Previous research supports VR for pain and anxiety reduction, but not specifically in the ED setting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of VR in managing pain and anxiety during minor hand procedures in the ED.
• To assess patient-reported outcomes and adverse effects of VR use in this context.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, interventional study was conducted at a level I trauma center.
• Adult patients undergoing minor hand procedures received VR via Oculus Quest 2 headsets.
• Pre- and postprocedure surveys using a 10-point Likert scale measured anxiety, pain, and VR efficacy.

Main Results:

• Sixteen adult patients participated, with seven being new to VR.
• A significant decrease in both patient-reported anxiety and pain levels was observed.
• No adverse effects were reported, and all patients recommended VR for similar procedures.

Conclusions:

• VR is an effective tool for improving patient experience during ED minor hand procedures.
• The study demonstrated significant reductions in anxiety and a trend toward reduced pain.
• High patient satisfaction and safety suggest VR should be a standard offering in EDs for minor hand procedures.