The impact of virtual reality on pain management during normal labor: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Saeed Baradwan; Khalid Khadawardi; Ehab Badghish; Waleed H Alkhamis; Ali Abdelmoezz Dahi; Khaled M Abdallah; Medhat Kamel; Zainab Shehata Sayd; Mohamed Abdelsattar Mohamed; Hamdi Mohamed Ali; Abd Elhalim Mohamed Abd Elhalim; Mohamed Mahmoud; Asmaa Abdelaal Mohamed; Doaa Fathy Mohamed; Ahmed Abdelaziz Abdelaziz Shama; Ayman M Hagras; Hazem Abd Allah Ali; Ahmed Mohamed Abdelhakim; Mohamed Saleh; Mahmoud A Badawy; Mohamed Sobhy Bakry

doi:10.1016/j.srhc.2022.100720

The impact of virtual reality on pain management during normal labor: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Sex Reprod Healthc. 2022 Jun:32:100720. doi: 10.1016/j.srhc.2022.100720. Epub 2022 Mar 24.

Authors

Saeed Baradwan¹, Khalid Khadawardi², Ehab Badghish³, Waleed H Alkhamis⁴, Ali Abdelmoezz Dahi⁵, Khaled M Abdallah⁵, Medhat Kamel⁵, Zainab Shehata Sayd⁵, Mohamed Abdelsattar Mohamed⁵, Hamdi Mohamed Ali⁵, Abd Elhalim Mohamed Abd Elhalim⁵, Mohamed Mahmoud⁶, Asmaa Abdelaal Mohamed⁷, Doaa Fathy Mohamed⁷, Ahmed Abdelaziz Abdelaziz Shama⁸, Ayman M Hagras⁹, Hazem Abd Allah Ali¹⁰, Ahmed Mohamed Abdelhakim¹¹, Mohamed Saleh⁵, Mahmoud A Badawy⁵, Mohamed Sobhy Bakry¹²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maternity and Children Hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt.
⁶ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
⁷ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
⁸ Department of Anesthesia and Surgical Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.
⁹ Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University Hospitals, Tanta, Egypt.
¹⁰ Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care and Pain Management, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
¹¹ Kasr Al-Ainy Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt. Electronic address: ahmed.m.rohei@students.kasralainy.edu.eg.
¹² Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Fayoum University, Fayoum, Egypt.

PMID: 35381438
DOI: 10.1016/j.srhc.2022.100720

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the impact of virtual reality on pain management during normal labor.

Methods: A systematic search was performed in September 2021 through PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and ISI web of science. We selected randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that compared virtual reality in the intervention group versus placebo or no intervention in the control group among laboring women during their normal delivery. Revman software was used for performing our meta-analysis. Our primary outcome was the pain score evaluated during the labor process by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Our secondary outcomes were anxiety and satisfaction scores during childbirth in addition to the duration of the first and second stages of labor.

Results: Eight RCTs met our inclusion criteria with a total number of 466 patients. We found virtual reality was linked to a significant reduction in the VAS pain score during labor compared to the control group (MD = -1.40, 95% CI [-1.83, -0.96], p < 0.001). The anxiety score during labor was significantly reduced among the virtual reality group (SMD = -1.15, 95% CI [-2.18, -0.12], p = 0.03). Moreover, virtual reality significantly improved the satisfaction score during labor (MD = 15.58, 95% CI [4.93, 26.22], p = 0.004). However, there were no significant differences between virtual reality and control groups regarding the duration of the first and second stages of labor.

Conclusions: Virtual reality is an effective technique for reducing anxiety, increasing satisfaction, and improving pain management during normal labor.

Keywords: Analgesia; Labor; Pain; VR; Virtual reality.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Review
Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Female
Humans
Labor Pain* / therapy
Pain
Pain Management / methods
Pain Measurement / methods
Pregnancy
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
Virtual Reality*