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Review
. 2022 Sep 28;9(12):100152.
doi: 10.1016/j.apjon.2022.100152. eCollection 2022 Dec.

Virtual reality for pain and anxiety of pediatric oncology patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Zhi Cheng  1 , Shanzhen Yu  1 , Wen Zhang  1 , Xinxin Liu  1 , Yijin Shen  1 , Hong Weng  1
Affiliations
Review

Virtual reality for pain and anxiety of pediatric oncology patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Zhi Cheng et al. Asia Pac J Oncol Nurs. .

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this paper is to systematically evaluate the effects of virtual reality (VR) on pain, anxiety, and fear symptoms of pediatric patients with cancer.

Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, CINAHL, and four Chinese medical databases were searched from January 1, 1975, to February 22, 2022. Randomized controlled trials on the effects of VR technology on pediatric cancer patients were searched. Two researchers independently screened literatures, extracted data, and evaluated literature quality according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, and meta-analysis was performed by RevMan 5.3.

Results: A total of 379 children with cancer were included in six randomized controlled trials. Overall, there were significant differences in favor of VR in pain (MD ​= ​-4.82, 95% CI [-7.74, -1.89], P＜0.01; I 2 ​= ​95%, P＜0.01), anxiety (SMD ​= ​-1.47, 95% CI ​[​-2.46, -0.48], P＜0.01; I 2 ​= ​92%, P＜0.01), and fear (MD ​= ​-1.25, 95% CI [-1.78,0.72], P＜0.01; I 2 ​= ​0%, P ​= ​0.69).

Conclusions: VR is beneficial to improve the pain, anxiety, and fear mood of pediatric cancer patients. Larger sample sizes and more rigorous studies are needed.

Keywords: Pain and anxiety; Pediatric oncology patients; Systematic review; Virtual reality.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA search flow diagram.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Risk of bias summary.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Forest plot for virtual reality on pain.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Forest plot for virtual reality on fear.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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