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Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Intervention on Anxiety and Vital Signs of Patients Before Colonoscopy: A Randomised
Seda Cansu Yeniğün Akbulut1, Hatice Merve Alptekin2, Seher Ünver3
1Kumluca Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Surgical Nursing, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Türkiye.
Aims:
Patients undergoing colonoscopy often experience anxiety related to bowel preparation, procedural pain, and fear of cancer, which can adversely affect their vital signs. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of virtual reality intervention on anxiety and cardiac vital signs (including systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and heart rate) of patients before the colonoscopy procedure.
Design:
This study was designed as a randomised, controlled, and double-blind trial.
Methods:
The sample of this study consisted of 70 patients undergoing colonoscopy in the endoscopy unit of the general surgery service of a public hospital. Patients were randomly assigned to the groups (intervention group or control group) and were evaluated twice before the colonoscopy procedure. Patients in the intervention group watched a relaxing video via virtual reality glasses for 15 min between the first and second evaluation stages. The Visual Analog Scale for Anxiety was used to evaluate the patients' anxiety levels before colonoscopy, while cardiac vital signs were evaluated using a digital sphygmomanometer.
Results:
In the intervention group, anxiety level of the patients significantly decreased during the second evaluation stage compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Additionally, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and mean arterial pressure scores showed significant reductions in the intervention group at the same stage (p < 0.05). Although patients in the intervention group had lower heart rate scores at the second evaluation stage, there was no statistically significant difference between groups (p > 0.05).
Conclusion:
Virtual reality intervention has an improving effect on patients' systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and mean arterial pressure. It is also effective in reducing patients' anxiety levels. Virtual reality intervention can be used as a distraction method before colonoscopy procedure.
Patient Or Public Contribution:
In this study, patients actively participated in the process of evaluating their anxiety levels and vital signs.
Trial Registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT06407531.
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