Pediatric anesthesia & critical care
Virtual reality simulations to alleviate fear and anxiety in children awaiting MRI: a small-scale randomized controlled trial
Authors' conclusion
VR exposure effectively reduces pre-MRI anxiety in paediatric patients who are about to undergo the exam, this is important as it alleviates the psychological burden on the child.
Study context
- Population
- Children aged 4 to 14 undergoing MRI without medical contraindications for VR, tertiary paediatric hospital
- Participants
- 30 children
- Comparison
- VR simulation of MRI room vs no VR before MRI
- VRn = 16
- Controln = 14reference
- Primary endpoint
- Fear and anxiety (FACES scale)
Methodological detailsprospective, single-centre, small-scale, Conducted over three weeks
- Prospective
- Single-centre
- Small-scale
- Conducted over three weeks
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
Anxiety about upcoming MRI, VR group before vs after VR exposure · post-VR exposure
- Significant reduction in anxiety post-VR exposure in VR group
- p = 0.009
Further findings
Fear and anxiety, VR vs control · before or after MRI
- No significant difference between VR and control
MRI exam success rate
- No significant difference
Original publication
Virtual reality simulations to alleviate fear and anxiety in children awaiting MRI: a small-scale randomized controlled trial. J Clin Monit Comput. Published 1 July 2024. doi:10.
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