BACKGROUND
Effective regulation of preoperative psychological symptoms can enhance surgical outcomes. However, there is a paucity of studies reporting on the use of Virtual Reality (VR) interventions in the management of perioperative psychological symptoms in patients with colorectal cancer.
OBJECTIVE
This study aims to investigate the impact of virtual reality technology on perioperative psychological symptoms(anxiety, depression and mood), and objective vital signs reflecting psychological symptoms(blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate), as well as user experience and safety in patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
METHODS
A comprehensive search of publications was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases from their inception until November 20, 2023, in accordance with PRISMA guidelines, without any language restrictions. The study utilized the PICOS framework for randomized controlled trials, which applied virtual reality to patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer perioperatively, comparing with standard nursing care, to regulate vital signs or psychological symptoms. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool was employed to assess the methodological quality of each included study. All data were pooled using RevMan 5.4.
RESULTS
Five studies published between 2021 and 2023 were eligible for inclusion (aggregated sample size=360). In terms of regulating psychological symptoms, VR can alleviate the anxiety of patients with colorectal cancer during the perioperative period (SMD = -0.96; 95% CI, -1.48 to -0.45, P= .000), and during systematic review, VR can improve the overall mood of patients and relieve the symptoms of perioperative tension and depression. Comparing with standard care, virtual reality had a significant positive effect on regulating diastolic blood pressure (SMD= -0.55; 95% CI, -0.92 to -0.19, P= .003) and heart rate (SMD= -0.43; 95% CI, -0.80 to -0.07, P= .02), but results for respiratory rate and pain regulation were controversial. The overall experience of using VR was reported as good.
CONCLUSIONS
VR can alleviate perioperative anxiety and depression, and improve mood, regulate blood pressure, heart rate, and pain in patients with colorectal cancer. Future studies can continue to enlarge the sample size and conduct multi-center studies to provide high-quality evidence for the clinical use of VR in patients with colorectal cancer and formulate individualized VR postoperative rehabilitation prescriptions.
CLINICALTRIAL
The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023416893)