ReviewJournal of pain research2026
Virtual Reality for Managing Procedural Pain in Children: A Concept Analysis with Walker and Avant Approach.
Review in Journal of pain research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Procedural pain and anxiety are common among children undergoing medical procedures. Traditional pharmacologic and behavioural interventions may not fully alleviate pain and distress in young children. Virtual Reality (VR) has emerged as a promising nonpharmacologic approach, yet conceptual ambiguity persists regarding its defining characteristics within paediatric nursing practice. Purpose: To clarify the concept of Virtual Reality for the management of procedural pain in children by delineating its defining attributes, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents utilizing the Walker and Avant framework. Methods: Walker and Avant's eight-step concept analysis framework was employed. Literature published between 2005 and 2025 was systematically identified from PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and Web of Science. Twenty-eight eligible studies were synthesized through iterative comparison and conceptual coding to identify defining attributes, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents of Virtual Reality for managing procedural pain in children. Results: Three defining attributes were identified: (1) immersion and presence, referring to a sense of being within a three-dimensional simulated environment; (2) distraction and cognitive engagement, involving active redirection of attention away from pain stimuli; and (3) emotional regulation and anxiety reduction, promoting calmness and procedural cooperation. Antecedents include the presence of a painful procedure, availability of VR technology, trained providers, and child readiness. Consequences include reduced pain and anxiety, improved procedural cooperation, and increased satisfaction among children, parents, and healthcare providers. Empirical referents include pain intensity measure, fear and anxiety assessments, and presence related instruments. Conclusion: Virtual reality represents an immersive, interactive, and emotion-focused nursing intervention for managing procedural pain and anxiety in children. Clarifying this concept supports its integration into evidence-based, child-centred, atraumatic nursing care.
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.