Pediatric anesthesia & critical care
Usefulness of a virtual reality educational program for reducing preoperative anxiety in children: A randomised, single-centre clinical trial
Authors' conclusion
The VREP-based prevention strategy reduced preoperative anxiety in children undergoing elective low-complexity surgery.
Study context
- Population
- Children aged 3–13 years, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I–II, scheduled for elective low-complexity surgery; single tertiary centre, Barcelona, Spain, January 2019–June 2022
- Participants
- 241 children
- Comparison
- Virtual reality (VR) educational program vs control
- Virtual reality educational program (VREP)n = 120
- Controln = 121reference
- Primary endpoint
- Preoperative anxiety (modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS)) during separation from parents
- Follow-up
- During separation from parents
Methodological detailssingle-centre, Groups balanced except more males with VREP (83.3% vs. 71.1%; P = 0.023)
- Single-centre
- Groups balanced except more males with VREP (83.3% vs. 71.1%; P = 0.023)
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
Preoperative anxiety (mYPAS)
P < 0.001
Further findings
Cooperation during anaesthesia induction (ICC score)
P < 0.001
| Outcome | VREP | Control | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emergence delirium (PAED score) · on leaving the recovery room | 1 point | 3 points | P = 0.001 |
| Pain (Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale) · upon arrival in the hospital ward | 0 points | 1 point | P < 0.001 |
Effect of sex on VREP-mediated decrease in preoperative anxiety (PA) (subgroup)
- Sex did not influence VREP-mediated decrease in PA
- P < 0.001
Original publication
Usefulness of a virtual reality educational program for reducing preoperative anxiety in children: A randomised, single-centre clinical trial. Eur J Anaesthesiol. Published 24 June 2024. doi:10.
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