ArticleBurns & trauma2026
Virtual reality as a pain reduction method in burn and wound healing: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Article in Burns & trauma, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Virtual Reality Induced Awe in Chronic Low Back Pain: A Mixed-Methods Study.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Masticatory myalgia to headache-like secondary hypersensitivity induces gene plasticity at dura mater.The journal of headache and pain · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Burns and wounds cause significant physical and psychological distress, with pain being a major barrier to recovery. Traditional pharmacological methods for pain management carry risks such as side effects and dependency. Virtual reality has emerged as a non-invasive, distraction-based technique that may reduce pain perception during wound care by modulating sensory input. Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis, conducted following PRISMA guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251005004), assessed the effectiveness of virtual reality in managing pain during wound and burn care. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library was conducted in March 2025. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials comparing virtual reality interventions to standard care or other distraction techniques in patients with active wounds or burns. Data on pain outcomes, as well as physiological indicators, were extracted. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model and Hedges' g as the effect size estimator. The analysis was performed with SPSS version 29 and the risk of bias was assessed using the RoB 2.0 tool. Results: Eleven studies (n = 936 participants) were included, with diverse wound types (burns, surgical, limb injuries) and virtual reality setups, predominantly immersive. The overall pooled effect showed a statistically significant reduction in pain using virtual reality (g = -1.528; 95% CI: -2.259 to -0.797; p < 0.001), indicating a moderate-to-large effect. Subgroup analysis revealed that virtual reality was most effective in children (g = -2.348), followed by adolescents (g = -0.538), while adults showed a non-significant effect (g = -1.453). High heterogeneity (I Conclusions: Virtual reality appears to be a promising tool for reducing procedural pain, particularly in children with wounds or burns. Its efficacy in adolescents is moderate, while evidence in adults remains inconclusive. Given its non-pharmacological nature and potential to improve patient experience, virtual reality warrants broader implementation and further age-specific research in wound care settings.
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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.