Virtual Reality Technology Reduces Pain and Anxiety in Hospitalized Pediatric Patients Undergoing Peripheral Venous...

Objective: To investigate the effects of virtual reality (VR) technology on pain and anxiety in hospitalized pediatric patients undergoing Peripheral Venous Catheterization. Methods: This study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Between July and December 2024, eligible pediatric inpatients aged 5-14 years from the Chegu Branch of Wuhan Union Hospital were randomly assigned to either the experimental group or the control group. The control group received routine care during peripheral venous catheterization, including health education and psychological comfort. The intervention group, in addition to routine care, used VR headsets to watch age-appropriate game videos, with each VR session lasting 10-15 min. The primary outcome measure was patient-reported pain levels, with anxiety as a key secondary outcome. Secondary outcome measures included catheterization time, heart rate, patient satisfaction with nursing procedures, and usability evaluation of the VR equipment. Results: A total of 80 pediatric patients were enrolled, with 40 in the VR group (mean age 8.05 ± 2.60 years) and 40 in the control group (mean age 8.63 ± 2.50 years). Generalized estimating equation (GEE) analysis showed a significant interaction effect between group and time for pain (Wald χ² = 7.091, p = 0.029), while no significant interaction was found for anxiety (Wald χ² = 0.971, p = 0.615). Before peripheral venous catheterization, there was no significant difference in pain and anxiety scores between the two groups of pediatric patients (p > 0.05). Patients in the VR group reported significantly reduced pain (β = -0.78; 95% CI, -1.40 to -0.15; p = 0.015) during catheterization, and overall anxiety scores were also lower in the VR group (β = -0.43; 95% CI, -0.77 to -0.08; p = 0.016), although the group by time interaction for anxiety was not significant. The intervention group also demonstrated a lower peak heart rate (107.67 ± 16.25 beats/min vs. 115.25 ± 29.53 beats/min; p = 0.047) and a shorter procedure duration [110 (100, 120) seconds vs. 120 (110, 123.5) seconds; p < 0.001]. Operator satisfaction with the nursing procedure was also significantly higher in the intervention group (95.0% vs. 72.5%, p < 0.001). Conclusions: VR significantly reduces pain and anxiety in hospitalized pediatric patients during peripheral venous catheterization.