JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Virtual reality (VR) is a well-researched digital intervention that has been used for managing acute pain and anxiety in pediatric patients undergoing various medical procedures. The current study focuses on investigating the role of unique patient characteristics and VR immersion level on the effectiveness of VR for managing pediatric pain and anxiety in venipuncture.

Objective:

The purpose of this study is to determine how specific patient characteristics and level of immersion during a virtual reality intervention impact anxiety and pain levels for pediatric patients undergoing venipuncture procedures.

Methods:

The current study is a secondary data analysis of two combined, previously published randomized control trials, on 252 pediatric patients aged 10 to 21 years of age, collected at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles from April 12, 2017 to July 24, 2019. One randomized clinical trial was conducted in 3 clinical environments examining peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC) placement (radiology, and an infusion center) and blood draw (phlebotomy). Conditional process analysis was employed to conduct moderation and mediation analyses to assess impact of immersion level during the VR intervention.

Results:

Findings indicate a higher level of immersion during a VR intervention compared to no immersion decreased post-procedure anxiety among patients undergoing venipuncture procedures. The immersion effects of the VR intervention worked better to reduce anxiety in individuals who had a higher level of anxiety sensitivity.

Conclusions:

VR is most effective for patients with higher anxiety sensitivity who report feeling highly immersed. Age, location of procedure, and gender of the patient were not found to significantly impact VR’s success in managing levels of post-procedural pain or anxiety, suggesting that immersive VR may be a beneficial intervention for a broad pediatric population.