JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

At medical clinics across a hospital system, common and recurrent procedures for different patient populations are considered to be painful and anxiogenic. Pharmacologic pain management and/or topical anesthetic creams are used to relieve pain, but distraction-based methods can also modify the painful experience and discomfort associated with these procedures. Recent studies support distraction as a useful method for reducing concern on the painful sensory input and as a result improve patient’s experience. Virtual Reality (VR) is an emerging technology that provides an immersive user experience and has the capacity to distract patients from the negative or painful experience of procedures. Given the possible short-term and long-term outcomes of poorly managed pain and suffering among oncology patients, healthcare professionals are challenged to improve patient well-being during medically essential procedures. The purpose of this pilot project is to assess the feasibility and acceptability of using the VR as a distraction-based intervention for pain management compared to other nonpharmacologic interventions in the hospital setting, specifically in patients undergoing lumbar puncture procedures and bone marrow biopsies at the oncology ward. This would provide the framework for additional studies at other medical or dental clinics.

Objective:

The purpose of this pilot study is to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of using nonpharmacological distraction methods for a procedure to reduce perceived anxiety and pain in a hospital room setting. The information gained will help to design future studies needed to ensure its efficacy and reliability of the devices.

Methods:

In a single visit, patients eligible for the study will complete brief pre-procedural and post-procedural questionnaires about their perceived fear, anxiety, and pain levels. During the procedure, research assistants will place a VR headset on the patient and the patient will undergo an interactive VR experience to distract from any pain felt from the procedure. Participants’ vitals, including blood pressure, heart rate, and rate of respiration, will also be recorded before, during, and after the procedure.

Results:

The study is already underway, and it is anticipated that the results will be available by early 2024.

Conclusions:

The Virtual Reality study will investigate the capability of the Quest 2 VR experience to provide relief in the form of anxiety and pain reduction in patients with perceived acute pain. This will provide useful information for the improvement of patient care and whether nonpharmacological distraction-based methods could be equally or more viable as a form of pain management compared to traditional methods. This will also provide insight on how patients’ perception of pain could potentially be altered. Overall, the information from this study may enable medical professionals to enhance the patient care experience by preventing the potential health risks and side effects that could come from pharmacological pain management methods.