ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2021
Virtual reality applications to assist pregnant women: a scoping review.
Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 24 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
The Effects of Making Pregnant Women With Preterm Birth Threat Watch Nature Images With Virtual Reality Goggles on the Levels of Stress, Anxiety, Attachment, and Care Satisfaction
The Effect of Emotional Freedom Techniques and Virtual Reality Application Applied to Reduce the Fear of Childbirth on Attachment and Mental Well-being in Primiparous Pregnant Women
The Effect of Virtual Reality-Based and Face-to-Face Relaxation Programs on Maternal and Fetal Outcomes in Pregnant Women With Preeclampsia
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Equity implications of extended reality technologies for health and procedural anxiety: a systematic review and implementation-focused framework.Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA · 2025Pooled it
- Effect of Dinalbuphine sebacate on postoperative multimodal analgesic strategy in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.BMC anesthesiology · 2025Trial
- Virtual reality treatment could reduce anxiety for women undergoing cesarean section with spinal anesthesia: a randomized controlled trial.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2024Trial
- Immersive virtual reality on childbirth experience for women: a randomized controlled trial.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2022Trial
- Virtual, Augmented, Mixed, and Immersive Technologies for Prenatal and Childbirth Education: Scoping Review.JMIR pediatrics and parenting · 2026Review
- Virtual reality for the treatment of perinatal mental health: a rapid scoping review.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Effectiveness of an immersive virtual reality intervention to reduce anxiety during pregnancy: a quasiexperimental single-group pre-post study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Exploring the Efficacy of Virtual Reality Training in Obstetric Procedures and Patient Care-A Systematic Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Efficacy of Virtual Reality Program for Mental Health Promotion in Pregnant Women.Clinical psychopharmacology and neuroscience : the official scientific journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2025Article
- VR preoperative education with sensory information alleviates perioperative anxiety and enhances delivery experience in primiparas undergoing cesarean section: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- CiteSpace-based visualization and analysis of hotspots and development trends in childbirth experience research.Frontiers in global women's health · 2025Review
- The Association Between Prenatal Maternal Stress and Adolescent Affective Outcomes is Mediated by Childhood Maltreatment and Adolescent Behavioral Inhibition System Sensitivity.Child psychiatry and human development · 2024Article
- I am Lifted Above the World: utilizing VR for stress reduction among perinatal women of color.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- Effect of audio-visual therapy on pain and anxiety in labor: A randomized controlled trial.European journal of obstetrics & gynecology and reproductive biology: X · 2023Article
- Virtual Reality Experience during Labour (VIREL); a qualitative study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2023Article
- Virtual Reality, Fear of Pain and Labor Pain Intensity: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Anesthesiology and pain medicine · 2023Article
- Virtual reality to improve low-back pain and pelvic pain during pregnancy: a pilot RCT for a multicenter randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in medicine · 2023Article
- Virtual Reality Childbirth Education With 360° Videos.The Journal of perinatal education · 2023Article
- Design, implementation, and validation of an application for childbirth preparation classes to improve the performance of midwifery students: Study protocol.Journal of education and health promotion · 2023Article
- Virtual reality applications for rehabilitation of COVID-19 patients: A systematic review.Health science reports · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundVirtual reality (VR) is a computer technology that simulates the real world to allow users to communicate with a similar but artificial environment. VR technologies can be used in pregnancy to help mothers gain a better understanding of this significant yet stressful event. The aim of this study was to find and summarize VR applications to help pregnant women during their pregnancy and delivery.
methodsPubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases were searched on November 11th, 2020 to access relevant studies. The following data were extracted from the collected studies: first author's name, year of publication, country, type of study, sample size, study objective, VR components (hardware and software), data gathering method, and study outcomes. Through a descriptive summary and analysis, the results eventually presented.
resultsNine studies were included in this study. Four studies (44.5%) had used VR technology to reduce the anxiety of pregnant women, four studies (44.5%) had applied VR for decreasing delivery pain, and one study (11%) used VR for exercise trainings. Five studies (56%) used VR headsets and three studies (33.5%) used VR glasses. Most studies showed that VR was a useful method to be used for different purposes in both pregnancy and delivery (n = 8, 89%).
conclusionThe use of VR technology for pregnancy has been increasing in recent years. This technology has different applications in pregnancy, from reducing anxiety and pain to exercise training. However, more studies are required to reach a general common understanding about the efficacy of VR during pregnancy and delivery.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.