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. 2017 Mar 29;4(1):e9.
doi: 10.2196/mental.7387.

Virtual Reality for Management of Pain in Hospitalized Patients: Results of a Controlled Trial

Vartan C Tashjian  1 , Sasan Mosadeghi  1 , Amber R Howard  1 , Mayra Lopez  1 , Taylor Dupuy  1 , Mark Reid  1 , Bibiana Martinez  1 , Shahzad Ahmed  1 , Francis Dailey  1 , Karen Robbins  1 , Bradley Rosen  1 , Garth Fuller  1 , Itai Danovitch  1 , Waguih IsHak  1 , Brennan Spiegel  1
Affiliations

Virtual Reality for Management of Pain in Hospitalized Patients: Results of a Controlled Trial

Vartan C Tashjian et al. JMIR Ment Health. .

Abstract

Background: Improvements in software and design and reduction in cost have made virtual reality (VR) a practical tool for immersive, three-dimensional (3D), multisensory experiences that distract patients from painful stimuli.

Objective: The objective of the study was to measure the impact of a onetime 3D VR intervention versus a two-dimensional (2D) distraction video for pain in hospitalized patients.

Methods: We conducted a comparative cohort study in a large, urban teaching hospital in medical inpatients with an average pain score of ≥3/10 from any cause. Patients with nausea, vomiting, dementia, motion sickness, stroke, seizure, and epilepsy and those placed in isolation were excluded. Patients in the intervention cohort viewed a 3D VR experience designed to reduce pain using the Samsung Gear Oculus VR headset; control patients viewed a high-definition, 2D nature video on a 14-inch bedside screen. Pre- and postintervention pain scores were recorded. Difference-in-difference scores and the proportion achieving a half standard deviation pain response were compared between groups.

Results: There were 50 subjects per cohort (N=100). The mean pain reduction in the VR cohort was greater than in controls (-1.3 vs -0.6 points, respectively; P=.008). A total of 35 (65%) patients in the VR cohort achieved a pain response versus 40% of controls (P=.01; number needed to treat=4). No adverse events were reported from VR.

Conclusions: Use of VR in hospitalized patients significantly reduces pain versus a control distraction condition. These results indicate that VR is an effective and safe adjunctive therapy for pain management in the acute inpatient setting; future randomized trials should confirm benefit with different visualizations and exposure periods.

Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02456987; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02456987 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6pJ1P644S).

Keywords: hospitalization; inpatients; pain; virtual reality.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: VR devices and software were provided in kind by AppliedVR. There was no external funding for this research study.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Samsung Gear virtual reality headset.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Screenshots of Pain RelieVR immersive pain distraction experience.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Hospitalized patients using Samsung Gear headsets (with written patient permission).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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