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Impact of Virtual Reality Technology on Pediatric Patients During Venous Access in the Emergency Department: A

Ling Lin1, Cui Zhu2, Lili Liu3

  • 1Department of Emergency.

Pediatric Emergency Care
|February 10, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Virtual reality (VR) technology in emergency departments (EDs) significantly reduced pain for pediatric patients during venous access. However, VR did not significantly decrease fear or improve first-attempt success rates in this patient group.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Medical Technology Integration
  • Pain Management Innovations

Background:

  • Venous access is a common and often painful procedure for pediatric patients in emergency departments.
  • Minimizing procedural pain and anxiety is crucial for improving patient experience and cooperation.
  • Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a potential non-pharmacological intervention for pain and anxiety management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) technology in managing pediatric patients undergoing venous access procedures within emergency departments (EDs).
  • To assess the impact of VR on pain, fear, and first-attempt success rates during pediatric venous access in the ED.

Main Methods:

  • A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were conducted.
  • Searches were performed across multiple databases (CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, CBM, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science) up to July 2025.
  • Data from 8 RCTs involving 629 pediatric patients were analyzed using RevMan 5.2 software.

Main Results:

  • Virtual reality technology demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in pain scores among pediatric patients compared to standard care (SMD=-0.73, P=0.04).
  • No significant differences were found in fear scores between the VR and control groups (SMD=-0.94, P=0.12).
  • The first-attempt success rate for venous access was not significantly improved by the use of VR technology (OR=1.01, P=0.96).

Conclusions:

  • Virtual reality technology shows promise as an adjunct for alleviating procedural pain in pediatric patients during venous access in emergency settings.
  • Current evidence does not support a significant benefit of VR in reducing patient fear or enhancing the likelihood of successful first-attempt venous access.
  • Further research may be needed to optimize VR interventions for comprehensive anxiety and procedural success in pediatric emergency care.
Abstract

Keywords:
emergency departments (EDs)meta-analysispediatric patientsvenous access

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