Effects of Virtual Reality Education on Procedural Pain and Anxiety During Venipuncture in Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Jung-Hee Ryu; Sung-Hee Han; Sang Mee Hwang; Jiyoun Lee; Sang-Hwan Do; Jin-Hee Kim; Jin-Woo Park

doi:10.3389/fmed.2022.849541

Effects of Virtual Reality Education on Procedural Pain and Anxiety During Venipuncture in Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Front Med (Lausanne). 2022 Apr 7:9:849541. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.849541. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Jung-Hee Ryu^{1

2

3}, Sung-Hee Han^{1

2

3}, Sang Mee Hwang⁴, Jiyoun Lee², Sang-Hwan Do^{2

3}, Jin-Hee Kim^{2

3}, Jin-Woo Park^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Medical Virtual Reality Research Group, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
² Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, South Korea.
³ Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
⁴ Department of Laboratory Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, South Korea.

Abstract

Background: Venipuncture is one of the most frequent and frightening medical procedures for children. This randomized clinical trial aimed to evaluate whether pre-procedural immersive virtual reality (VR) education could decrease pain and anxiety during venipuncture procedure of children.

Methods: Sixty children scheduled for venipuncture at the phlebotomy unit were randomized into either the control or VR group. Before the procedure, children of the control group received conventional simple verbal instructions, whereas those of the VR group experienced a 4-min VR education regarding venipuncture. The primary outcome was the pain and anxiety of pediatric patients assessed with the children's hospital of eastern ontario pain scale. Secondary outcomes were parental satisfaction, venipuncture time, repeated procedure and procedural difficulty rated by phlebotomists.

Results: The pain and anxiety score during the procedure was significantly lower in the VR group than in the control group (median [IQR], 6.0 [5.0-7.0] vs. 8.0 [6.0-9.8], P = 0.001). Parental satisfaction about the procedural process were higher in the VR group than in the control group (P = 0.029), and the degree of procedural difficulty was lower in the VR group, compared to the control group (P = 0.026).

Conclusion: The preprocedural VR education significantly reduced pain and anxiety of children and decreased the procedural difficulty of phlebotomists during venipuncture procedure.

Clinical trial registration: University hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (registration number: UMIN000042968, date of registration: January 9, 2021, URL: https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000049043).

Keywords: anxiety; children; education; pain; venipuncture; virtual reality.