Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38916669›Full record

Trial reportPediatric cardiology2025

A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial Using Virtual Reality in Pediatric Pre-intervention Echocardiograms to Decrease Child Anxiety and Fear.

Sarina K Behera, Rajesh Punn, Maria Menendez, Christine Be, Sandra Moon, Michelle Zuniga, Katie Jo Stauffer, Kelly Thorson, Nora Asi, Leo Lopez

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Pediatric cardiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Sarina K BeheraDepartment of Pediatrics, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA. sarinabehera@yahoo.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4310-6791
Rajesh PunnDepartment of Pediatrics, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA.
Maria MenendezDepartment of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA.
Christine BeDepartment of Pediatrics, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA.
Sandra MoonDepartment of Pediatrics, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA.
Michelle ZunigaDepartment of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA.
Katie Jo StaufferDepartment of Pediatrics, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA.
Kelly ThorsonDepartment of Pediatrics, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA.
Nora AsiDepartment of Pediatrics, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA.
Leo LopezDepartment of Pediatrics, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) as a distraction tool decreases anxiety and fear in children undergoing procedures, but its use has not been studied during transthoracic echocardiograms (TTEs). We hypothesized that VR in children undergoing pre-intervention TTEs decreases anxiety and fear and increases TTE study comprehensiveness and diagnostic accuracy when compared with standard distractors (television, mobile devices). Patients (6-18 years old) scheduled for pre-intervention TTEs at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in 2021 and 2022 were prospectively enrolled and randomized to VR and non-VR groups. Patients completed pre- and post-TTE surveys using the Children's Anxiety Meter-State (CAM-S) and Children's Fear Scale (CFS). Patients, parents, and sonographers completed post-TTE experience surveys. TTEs were reviewed by pediatric cardiologists for study comprehensiveness and compared with electronic medical records for diagnostic accuracy. Among 67 enrolled patients, 6 declined VR, 31 randomized to the VR group, and 30 to the non-VR group. Anxiety (average CAM-S difference 0.78 ± 1.80, p = 0.0012) and fear (average CFS difference 0.36 ± 0.74, p = 0.0005) decreased in both groups. There was no difference between groups in the change in anxiety and fear pre- and post-TTE (p = 0.96-1.00). TTE study comprehensiveness and diagnostic accuracy were high in both groups. Procedure time (time in the echocardiography room) was less for the VR group (48.4 ± 18.1 min) than the non-VR group (58.8 ± 24.4 min), but without a statistically significant difference (p = 0.075). VR is similar to standard distractors and may decrease procedure time. Patients, parents, and sonographers rated the VR experience highly and encouraged its use with future procedures.

Indexed as

AnxietyEchocardiographyFearVirtual RealityAdolescentChildFemaleHumansMaleProspective StudiesChildhood anxietyChildhood fearDiagnostic accuracyPediatric echocardiogramsStudy comprehensivenessVirtual reality

Identifiers

PMID38916669

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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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.