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Effectiveness of Virtual Reality on Pain During Peripheral Intravenous Catheterization in the Emergency Room: A

Patrícia Fernandes Albeirice da Rocha1,2, Luciano Marques Dos Santos1,2, Amanda Ullman1,2

  • 1Author Affiliations: Nursing Department, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil (Fernandes Albeirice da Rocha, Zaghi Vitor, and Kuerten Rocha); Health and Services Department, Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina, Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil (Fernandes Albeirice da Rocha); Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil (dos Santos); University of Queensland and Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (Ullman and Takashima); Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia (Plummer); Department of Anaesthesia and Pain, Queensland Children's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (Plummer).

Journal of Infusion Nursing : the Official Publication of the Infusion Nurses Society
|September 5, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Virtual reality significantly reduces pain and distress during peripheral intravenous catheter insertion in children. This immersive technology offers a safe and effective alternative to standard care for pediatric patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Anesthesiology
  • Pain Management
  • Virtual Reality Applications

Background:

  • Peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC) insertion is a common but painful procedure for children.
  • Minimizing pain and distress during PIVC insertion is crucial for positive healthcare experiences.
  • Exploring novel interventions like virtual reality (VR) is essential for improving pediatric procedural care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) in reducing pain and procedure-related distress during pediatric PIVC insertion.
  • To compare VR intervention with standard care in a pediatric population.
  • To analyze VR's impact on pain and distress across different age groups.

Main Methods:

  • A 2-arm, randomized, parallel-group clinical trial involving 352 children aged 4-14 years.
  • Participants were assigned to either VR with a relaxing ocean film or standard care.
  • Pain was measured using the Faces Pain Scale-Revised, and distress using the Observational Behavioral Distress Scale.

Main Results:

  • Virtual reality significantly reduced pain perception across all age groups (RR: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.45-0.72).
  • Procedure-related distress decreased with VR, showing more pronounced effects in younger children (aged 8 and under).
  • Adverse events were minimal, with 9% discontinuing VR due to poor tolerance.

Conclusions:

  • Virtual reality is an effective intervention for decreasing pain and distress during pediatric PIVC insertion.
  • VR demonstrates a greater impact on pain and distress reduction in younger children (4-8 years).
  • VR offers a safe and promising tool for enhancing pediatric procedural care.

Keywords:
clinical trialpainpediatric nursingperipheral catheterizationvirtual reality

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