Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) intervention in the management of pain, anxiety and fear in paediatric patients undergoing needle-related procedures.
Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
Data sources: A librarian-designed search of the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, CINAHL, CBM, CNKI, and Wanfang databases was conducted to identify research articles in English or Chinese on RCTs up to February 28, 2022.
Review methods: Two researchers independently screened eligible articles. The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews was used to assess the risk of bias in the included studies. A fixed- or random-effects meta-analysis model was used to determine the pooled mean difference based on the results of the heterogeneity test.
Results: A total of 2269 articles were initially screened. The meta-analysis included data from 27 studies representing 2224 participants. Compared with the non-VR group, the VR intervention group significantly reduced pain, anxiety, and fear in paediatric patients who underwent puncture-related procedures. Subgroup analysis showed that VR has advantages over conventional and other distraction methods.
Conclusion: Paediatric patients undergoing needle-related procedures would benefit from VR interventions for pain, anxiety and fear management.
Impact: VR intervention has the potential to reduce pain, anxiety and fear in paediatric patients undergoing puncture-related procedures. Future clinical interventions could incorporate VR into puncture procedures as an effective method to reduce negative emotions in children eligible for VR distractions.
Patient or public contribution: Our paper is a systematic review and meta-analysis and such details don't apply to our work.
Keywords: anxiety; fear; meta-analysis; needle; pain; puncture procedures; virtual reality.
© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.