Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
ARTICLESA Pilot and Feasibility Study of Virtual Reality as a Distraction for Children With Cancer
Section snippets
Sample Selection
Children were included in this study if they met the following criteria. Children had to be between the ages of 7 and 19 with a diagnosis of childhood cancer who presented at an outpatient oncology unit in a southeast metropolitan area with a parent. These children had to be visiting the oncology unit to receive a port access as a component of their cancer treatment. This invasive medical procedure involves a port (a previously implanted catheter) that is used for frequent intravenous
Sample Characteristics
Fifty-nine children participated in the study ranging in age from 7 to 19 years, with a mean age of 12.7. The children received treatment for a wide range of cancer diagnoses including various forms of leukemia, lymphoma, and solid mass tumors. Chemotherapy protocols varied for each child depending on the diagnosis. The sample demographics included 51% males and the ethnic breakdown of the children was as follows: 64% white, 20% African American, 6% Latino, 3% Native American, and 7% listed as
DISCUSSION
This pilot study examined the benefit of VR distraction compared with NonVR distraction and no distraction during a port access procedure for pediatric cancer patients. Overall results suggest potential benefit from using VR as a distraction during painful medical procedures as indicated by reduced physiological arousal, lower ratings of pain by the nurse, and reduced behavioral indices of distress. Thus, on multiple dependent variables, the VR distraction appeared to decrease the distress
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2023, European Journal of Oncology NursingThe effect of virtual reality on pain, anxiety, and fear during burn dressing in children: A randomized controlled study
2023, BurnsCitation Excerpt :As predicted, using a between groups study design, the current study found that VR significantly reduced pain, anxiety, and fear levels, and significantly reduced heart rates during burn wound care in burn injured children aged 7–12. Consistent with a small but growing pediatric literature on VR analgesia in pediatric burn patients [3,5,11,24–32] in the current study, VR was found to be an effective adjunctive non-pharmacologic analgesic and anxiolytic, and the current study is either the first or is one of the first to show that in addition to reducing pain and anxiety, VR reduced childrens’ fear during wound care. During a pilot study, before beginning the current study, we unexpectedly discovered that it is important for the child to put on the VR headset and then taken to the dressing room while already in VR.
This work was supported by a grant from the Alan Stoudemire Foundation.
The authors thank Rosemarie Lemos, R.N., for her assistance in collecting the data and coordinating with hospital staff.
Disclosure: Drs. Rothbaum and Hodges receive research funding and are entitled to sales royalty from Virtually Better, Inc., which is developing products related to the research described in this article. In addition, the investigators serve as consultants to and own equity in Virtually Better, Inc. The terms of this arrangement have been reviewed and approved by Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology in accordance with its conflict of interest policies.