Trial reportSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2026
Comparison of virtual reality and podcasts for improving patient experience during colposcopy: a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeColposcopy-related anxiety affects up to 80% of women, increasing pain perception and reducing satisfaction. Virtual reality has shown promise, but few studies have compared it with other active distraction methods during colposcopy. This three-arm randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of virtual reality versus podcast versus standard care in reducing anxiety and pain during colposcopy.
methodsBetween March and June 2025, 90 women undergoing colposcopy at a tertiary gynecologic oncology center in Turkey were randomized equally to virtual reality, podcast, or standard care. Interventions began 5 min before and continued throughout the procedure. The primary outcome was change in State-Trait Anxiety Inventory scores; secondary outcomes included Visual Analog Scale pain scores, patient satisfaction, Perceived Stress Scale scores, and 24-h analgesic use.
resultsNinety participants were randomized (96.7% completion rate). In intention-to-treat analysis, both interventions reduced anxiety significantly compared with control (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory change: virtual reality -7.9, podcast -10.5, control + 6.5; p < 0.001). Virtual reality provided the strongest analgesic benefit (Visual Analog Scale 1.7 vs. 3.0 with podcast and 4.3 with control; p < 0.001) and the highest satisfaction (9.4 vs. 7.9 vs. 4.2; p < 0.001). Analgesic use was lower in the virtual reality (46.4%) and podcast (55.2%) groups compared with control (76.7%; p = 0.047). Perceived Stress Scale scores and physiological measures showed no group differences. Two participants in the virtual reality group experienced mild, self-limiting adverse effects.
conclusionsBoth virtual reality and podcasts significantly reduced colposcopy-related anxiety, with virtual reality providing superior pain control and satisfaction. Podcasts, as a rarely studied spoken-word distraction modality, represent a practical, low-cost alternative. These findings support integrating distraction-based strategies to improve patient experience during colposcopy.
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Registered trials
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