ReviewChildren (Basel, Switzerland)2024
Immersive Virtual Reality for Pain and Anxiety Management Associated with Medical Procedures in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review.
Review in Children (Basel, Switzerland), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Virtual Reality Versus Distraction Game Cards for Reducing Fear, Anxiety, Pain, and Physiological Stress During Pediatric Open Wound Care
Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Effects of Virtual Reality for Pain, Anxiety and Recovery Enhancement of Children Post-Scoliosis Surgical Repair: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Parallel Trial (VR-SPINE)
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Virtual Reality for the Management of Postoperative Pain and Anxiety in Children and Adolescents Undergoing Nuss Repair of Pectus Excavatum: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR perioperative medicine · 2026Trial
- Immersive Virtual Reality for Reducing Intraoperative Pain: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.In vivo (Athens, Greece)Trial
- Immersive Virtual Reality for Pediatric Procedural Pain and Anxiety: A Structured Narrative Review and Developmentally Informed Framework for Clinical Matching and AI-Supported Personalization.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2026Review
- Dynamic assessment of pain, fear, and physiological stress during pediatric intravenous cannulation: a randomized controlled trial of virtual reality distraction.BMC nursing · 2026Article
- Barriers and facilitators to the implementation of virtual reality as a pain management intervention in outpatient physiotherapy practices: a qualitative analysis.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Augmented and virtual reality in surgical practice: a review of applications in visualization, training, and future directions.Journal of robotic surgery · 2026Review
- "Your Digital Doctor Will Now See You": A Narrative Review of VR and AI Technology in Chronic Illness Management.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- From immersion to burnout: anxiety mechanisms and pathways to motivational exhaustion in gamified health education.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- The Use of Virtual Reality for Pain and Anxiety Reduction: A Literature Review.Acta medica Lituanica · 2026Review
- Virtual reality as a pain reduction method in burn and wound healing: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Burns & trauma · 2026Article
- Effectiveness of virtual reality in reducing anxiety, fear, and pain in children undergoing skin prick testing: A crossover study.Pediatric allergy and immunology : official publication of the European Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology · 2025Article
- Virtual Reality to Improve Sleep Quality in Patients Suffering from Painful Diabetic Polyneuropathy: A Proof of Concept Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Virtual Reality-Based Therapy Can Enhance Balance and Muscular Endurance in Children and Adolescents with Down Syndrome: A Systematic Review with a Meta-Analysis.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Perceived Effects of Customized Avatars in a Multiplatform Virtual Environment on Pain and Anxiety in Hospitalized Children in Hemato-Oncology.Global qualitative nursing researchArticle
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
(1) Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the studies that evaluate the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (VR) as a distraction technique for pain and anxiety associated with medical procedures in children and adolescents. (2) The methods involved a systematic review of randomized controlled trials retrieved from databases in health sciences (Pubmed, CINHAL, Scopus, WOS, ProQuest, Cuiden Plus, InDICEs-CSIC). PRISMA guidelines were followed. (3) Results: Twelve trials were included. Four involved venipuncture, four involved surgical procedures, one involved vaccination, one involved burn care, one involved secondary wound closure, and the last one involved subcutaneous port access. (4) Discussion: Children who undergo medical procedures often experience pain and anxiety, which affects their physical condition and their relationships with caregivers and health professionals. Immersive VR is an effective alternative to medications to help in these cases. No author found statistically significant differences against the use of VR for distraction and palliation of pain and anxiety, which seems to be more effective at a younger age. It is important to personalize the immersive VR experience and equipment. (5) Conclusions: VR, when used with analgesics and anesthetics, appears effective in managing pain and distress caused by medical procedures.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.