Effects of Virtual Reality on Pain During Venous Port Access in Pediatric Oncology Patients: A Randomized Controlled Study

Abstract

Purpose: Needle procedures are one of the most distressing practices for pediatric oncology patients. Virtual reality (VR) is a distraction method which offers an extremely realistic and interactive virtual environment and helps reduce needle-related pain and distress. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of VR method on pain during venous port access in pediatric oncology patients aged 7 to 18 years. Method: Children who had cancer and were between the ages of 7 and 18 years and undergoing a port-a-cath access were randomly assigned through blocked randomization to either the VR intervention group or control group. A commercially available VR headset was fitted to children in the intervention group. Immediately after the port access, pain scores were obtained from children’s self-reports and parents’ proxy reports, using the Wong–Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale. Results: Descriptive characteristics of the children ( n = 71) showed a homogeneous distribution between groups. During the procedure, children in the control group ( n = 36; 5.03 ± 3.35) experienced more pain than the children in VR group ( n = 35; 2.34 ± 2.76; p < .001). Proxy reports of the parents in the experimental group (1.77 ± 2.46) were found to be lower than those in the control group (4.67 ± 2.56; p < .001). Conclusions/Implications for Practice: VR method is effective for reducing pain during venous port access in pediatric oncology patients. VR should be used as a distraction method during venous port access.