Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42528024›Full record

ArticleMusculoskeletal care2026

Patient Experiences and Preliminary Effects of Virtual Reality Based Pain Treatment in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients With Persistent Pain Despite Low Disease Activity: A Mixed Method Pilot Study.

Stijn J M Temmink, Marlou A Bakker, Demy D Gerritsen, Mirjam C Hegeman, Liza de Vries, Peter M Ten Klooster, Christina Bode, Harald E Vonkeman

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Article in Musculoskeletal care, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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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

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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

8 authors.

Stijn J M TemminkDepartment of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8602-0179
Marlou A BakkerDepartment of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands.
Demy D GerritsenDepartment of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Medisch Spectrum Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands.
Mirjam C HegemanDepartment of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Medisch Spectrum Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands.
Liza de VriesDepartment of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Medisch Spectrum Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands.
Peter M Ten KloosterDepartment of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands.
Christina BodeDepartment of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands.
Harald E VonkemanDepartment of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThis study aimed to examine the acceptability, usability, patient perceptions and preliminary effects of a virtual reality (VR) based pain management programme for people with rheumatoid arthritis with persistent pain despite low disease activity.

methodsThis study used a two-phase mixed-methods approach with questionnaires and qualitative interviews. During the first phase of this study, 21 participants completed the virtual reality sickness questionnaire (VRSQ) and a 0-10 NRS pain before and after using the VR programme once. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted on the perceptions of patients. In the second phase of the study, five participants used the VR programme for 8 weeks at home. Participants answered a NRS pain twice a week and the VRSQ, ASES and SF-36 before and after the experiment.

resultsIn the first phase, a clinically meaningful reduction in pain intensity was observed in 10% of participants after one session of VR. Virtual reality sickness symptoms worsened for some and improved in others. Participants found the programme usable. Patients perceived relaxing and distracting effects. In the second phase, the median NRS pain intensity decreased by one point. Quality of life appeared to improve in the physical domain, whereas self-efficacy remained stable. Virtual reality sickness symptoms remained stable or showed slight improvements overall.

conclusionThe VR-based pain management programme was considered acceptable and usable by most people with RA. The programme also tended to slightly reduce pain. A larger randomised controlled trial is needed to determine the effectiveness of the programme.

Indexed as

Arthritis, RheumatoidPain ManagementVirtual RealityAdultAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPain MeasurementPilot ProjectsQuality of LifeSurveys and Questionnairespain managementpersistent painrheumatoid arthritisvirtual reality

Identifiers

PMID42528024
PMCPMC13420965

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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.