Effects of Virtual Reality on Pain, Anxiety and Fear Among Emergency Department Patients: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

Objectives

To explore the effects of virtual reality (VR) interventions in reducing pain, anxiety, and fear in child and adult emergency departments (EDs).

Design

A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Data Sources

Articles were searched from PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and Web of Science (up to 18 October 2024).

Methods

The quality of the studies was assessed using the risk of bias tool recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool, and the Revman version 5.4 software was used to assess the risk of bias in the included studies. Two researchers independently screened eligible articles. The effects of VR on pain, anxiety, or fear in ED patients were estimated with a standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Egger's test and the funnel plot were used to evaluate the publication bias. All data analysis was conducted utilizing STATA software version 18.0.

Results

Sixteen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 1449 participants were included. In this meta-analysis, VR reduced the severity of pain (SMD = -0.82; 95% CI: -1.11 to -0.53; p < .001), anxiety (SMD = -1.13; 95% CI: -1.74 to -0.52; p < .001), and fear (SMD = -0.82: 95% CI: -1.51 to -0.12; p = .022).

Conclusions

The results of this meta-analysis indicate that VR can effectively reduce pain, anxiety, and fear in ED patients. Therefore, VR shows promise as a valuable complementary pain, anxiety, and fear management intervention for ED patients.