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Virtual reality for distraction during painful procedures in pediatric surgery: A randomized clinical trial
Michael Gerards1, Jekaterina Miller2, Dylan Doshi2
1mg-innovation, Heppenheim, Germany.
Insights
Virtual reality (VR) headsets significantly reduced procedure times for pediatric surgical patients. This immersive distraction method also showed potential in lowering anxiety and pain during medical interventions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Medical Technology
- Pain Management
Background:
- Hospitalization and medical procedures can cause significant stress, anxiety, and pain for pediatric surgical patients.
- Young children often experience heightened anxiety in unfamiliar hospital environments, especially when facing painful interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effectiveness of a user-friendly immersive virtual reality (VR) distraction method in reducing anxiety and pain in pediatric surgical patients.
- To assess the impact of VR on procedure duration and patient experience during medical treatments.
Main Methods:
- A clinical study involving 34 pediatric patients (ages 5-16) randomly assigned to an experimental (VR distraction) or control (routine care) group.
- VR group used 360° videos on VR headsets during procedures like IV catheter insertion and dressing changes.
- Anxiety and pain levels were measured using the Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R) and the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) scale.
Main Results:
- Participants in the VR group reported lower average anxiety and pain levels during and after procedures compared to the control group.
- Procedure duration was statistically significantly reduced by an average of 5.53 minutes in the VR intervention group.
- Nearly all participants found the VR experience positive and expressed a desire to use it for future treatments.
Conclusions:
- Virtual reality technology integration into clinical practice can enhance the hospital experience for pediatric patients.
- VR serves as a valuable and effective tool for distracting children, thereby reducing anxiety and pain during invasive procedures.
Purpose:
Hospitalization can be stressful and anxiety-inducing for many pediatric surgical patients and their parents. If further procedures or treatments are required, this often leads to additional pain and anxiety and therefore cumulative stress. Very young patients often find themselves for the first time in an uncomfortable environment that they have never experienced before. To counteract their anxiety and pain during painful procedures, a new user-friendly immersive distraction method using a virtual reality (VR) headset was investigated in a clinical study.
Methods:
A total of 34 patients between the ages of 5 and 16 took part in the study and were randomly assigned to the experimental or control group. The children in the experimental group were distracted during treatment by 360° videos on VR glasses while the children in the control group received routine care from the staff. The treatments assessed included the insertion of peripheral intravenous catheters, surgical dressing changes and the insertion and removal of transurethral catheters. Anxiety and pain levels were measured using an FPS-R scale and a FLACC scale.
Results:
The results show that, on average, the participants in the intervention group reported less anxiety (regression coefficient RC: -0.86 [-2.68; 0.96], p-value: 0.3429) and pain during procedure (RC: -1.17 [-2.99; 0.65], p-value: 0.1996) and after procedure (RC: -0.54 [-1.71; 0.65], p-value: 0.3616) than in the control group. The duration of procedures has been statistically significant reduced in the intervention group by an average of 5.53 (95 %-confidence interval: [-11.02; -0.04], p-value: 0.0486) minutes. Almost all participants stated that they had found the VR experience good and wanted to use the glasses for a future treatment or intervention.
Conclusion:
The introduction of VR technology into clinical practice can improve the hospital experience for children and reduce anxiety and pain during painful procedures. VR has been shown to be a useful and effective means of distracting children during painful procedures.
