The Effect of Virtual Reality Goggles on Reducing Pain During Peripheral Intravenous Cannulation in Children
Project no. 32350 · Status: Kapanmış (Yayın bekleniyor) · 2024
Summary
<p>Needle-related procedures performed in pediatric emergency departments (PEDs), particularly peripheral intravenous (IV) cannulation—the most frequently performed intervention—commonly elicit pain, anxiety, and fear, and the procedure often takes longer in children than in other age groups. Topical anesthetic agents are routinely used to reduce cannulation-related pain; however, despite topical anesthesia, additional interventions are frequently required to further mitigate pain and distress. Younger children, in particular, have a limited ability to regulate pain and the accompanying anxiety and fear. If this distress is not managed effectively and appropriately, it may trigger significant anxiety and maladaptive behavioral responses both during the index procedure and upon subsequent re-exposure.</p><p>In addition, the emotional and physical distress experienced by children during venipuncture may be traumatic for accompanying caregivers. This may contribute to caregiver–staff conflict, increased workload for healthcare professionals, aggressive incidents, greater procedural difficulty, and delays in diagnostic evaluation and treatment. Given the higher burden of violence toward healthcare workers in our setting, these consequences represent a particularly important clinical and public health concern.</p><p>Virtual reality (VR) may be used as a non-pharmacological adjunct to manage pain and to reduce and prevent anxiety during needle-related procedures. VR headsets were initially introduced in conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, and phobias, and subsequent evidence has supported their use for analgesia and distress reduction during invasive procedures including dental extraction, burn care, and central venous catheter placement. Although evidence on VR for pediatric pain management is still limited, reports specifically addressing both pain outcomes and the impact of VR on PED operational workflow remain scarce.</p><p>With this project, we aim—among the first in our country—to investigate VR use in the PED, assessing not only its effects on children’s pain-related anxiety and fear, but also its implications for ED workflow (e.g., procedure duration, complications, waiting time) and for caregivers’ emotional state and behaviors within the emergency care context. Ultimately, we seek to demonstrate that integrating VR technology into pediatric emergency care can facilitate invasive procedures with improved comfort and fewer distress-related disruptions, thereby supporting timely diagnostics and treatment and enabling effective incorporation of VR into routine PED practice.</p>