The Effect of Virtual Reality on Reducing Pain and Anxiety in Individuals Undergoing Arterial Blood Puncture

Background and objective Arterial blood puncture (ABP) is a common, painful procedure frequently associated with anxiety. It is well-known that traditional methods of pain management do not provide relief in all cases, making it imperative to explore alternative methods like virtual reality (VR)-aided distraction. This study was designed to evaluate the influence of VR on pain and anxiety levels during ABP procedures. Methods A total of 79 adults were recruited to undergo ABP and were assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) for anxiety and the Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) for pain. The VR intervention was performed before the second ABP. The data were analyzed with the help of SPSS Statistics, version 23 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY), using paired sample t-tests. Results It was found that the VR intervention significantly decreased levels of pain (p<0.0005), with the average pain intensity improving from 4.21 ± 2.14 before intervention at baseline to 3.23 ± 1.88 after intervention. In contrast, there was no significant difference in anxiety levels before VR intervention versus after (p = 0.858). Conclusions VR-aided distraction has emerged as a non-pharmacological method to reduce pain during ABP procedures. Further studies are required to determine its effect on anxiety and to evaluate its use in the broader clinical environment.