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Virtual reality for acute pain in outpatient hysteroscopy: a randomised controlled trial
Author(s) -
Deo N,
Khan KS,
Mak J,
Allotey J,
Gonzalez Carreras FJ,
Fusari G,
Benn J
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/1471-0528.16377
Subject(s) - medicine , distraction , randomized controlled trial , anxiety , physical therapy , hysteroscopy , ambulatory , intervention (counseling) , virtual reality , visual analogue scale , surgery , psychology , nursing , psychiatry , neuroscience , artificial intelligence , computer science
Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality as a distraction technique in the management of acute pain and anxiety during outpatient hysteroscopy. Design Parallel group, prospective randomised controlled trial. Setting UK University Hospital. Methods Forty consenting, eligible women were randomised to virtual reality intervention (immersive video content as a distraction method) or standard care during outpatient hysteroscopy from August to October 2018. Main outcome measures Pain and anxiety outcomes were measured as a numeric rating score (scale 0–10). Results Compared with standard care, women with virtual reality intervention experienced less average pain (score 6.0 versus 3.7, mean difference 2.3, 95% CI 0.61–3.99, P = 0.009) and anxiety (score 5.45 versus 3.3, mean difference 2.15, 95% CI 0.38–3.92, P = 0.02). Conclusion Virtual reality was effective in reducing pain and anxiety during outpatient hysteroscopy in a mixed‐methods randomised control trial. Its wide potential role in ambulatory gynaecological procedures needs further evaluation. Tweetable abstract Virtual reality can be used as a part of a multimodal strategy to reduce acute pain and anxiety in patients undergoing outpatient hysteroscopy.