Effect of virtual reality distraction on venipuncture pain in children in the emergency room ; Efecto de la distracción con realidad virtual en el dolor por venopunción en niños en urgencias ; Efeito da distração com realidade virtual na dor por punção venosa em crianças na sala de emergência

Highlights Venipuncture is a common procedure that causes pain. Visual distraction is widely used in clinical practice, but its effect on pain control is unknown. Distraction of pediatric patients is a nursing intervention that requires further study to evaluate the control of symptoms such as procedural pain in the practice of care. The present study did not demonstrate the effect of (non-immersive) distraction on pain control during venipuncture. Introduction: Virtual reality (VR) as a distraction strategy has been used in healthcare centers; however, the evidence is inconsistent in demonstrating VR's effect on pain control during venipuncture. Objective: To describe the effect of VR on pain during the venipuncture process in children and adolescents in a private institution in Bogotá. Materials and Methods: An unblinded, randomized, experimental study was conducted in the emergency room of a fourth-level care facility. The sample consisted of 46 children and adolescents between the ages of 7 and 14. Twenty-three were randomly assigned to the experimental group with a VR headset and 23 to the control group. The dependent variable ‘pain’ was measured before, during, and after venipuncture using the visual analog scale (VAS) of pain. Results: Perceived pain is different before and after the procedure; however, using the VR headset did not show any statistical or clinical differences during the venipuncture procedure. Discussion: Variables such as vital signs, venipuncture time, and follow-up were important in measuring symptoms such as pain at venipuncture. Conclusion: VR can be used by nurses; however, more research must be done to demonstrate its effect on pain control during venipuncture, considering a greater power of the study, type of pain, and variables such as family support and nurses’ time of experience. How to cite this article: Gómez-Neva María Elizabeth, Briñez Ariza Karol Johanna, Ibañez Rodriguez Leidy Johana. Effect of virtual reality distraction on venipuncture pain in children in the emergency ...