Investigating of augmented reality and cold vibration therapy on anxiety in children during intravenous insertion: a quasi-experimental study

Anxiety tends to escalate when children undergo intravenous insertion. The success rate of the first attempt at intravenous insertion is suboptimal, leading to increased anxiety in children and prolonged treatment. Unfortunately, current interventions are not yet optimal. This study aimed to determine the influence of augmented reality and cold vibration on children's anxiety during intravenous insertion procedure. This research used an experimental pre-post-test nonequivalent control group design. Purposive sampling was employed, taking into consideration inclusion and exclusion criteria. The instrument used demographic data and Child Anxiety Meter (CAM). The independent variables in this study are augmented reality and cold vibration. The dependent variable is anxiety. The total sample consisted of 60 respondents divided into an intervention group (n=30) and comparison group (n=30). Descriptive statistics, frequency distribution, percentages, Paired T-test, Wilcoxon, and Independent T-test were applied for data analysis. Participants in the intervention group experienced a decrease in mean higher anxiety score (2.03), compared to the comparison group (0.59). The independent t-test indicated <0.001 (<0.05) for a p-value. Based on these results, the application of augmented reality and cold vibration can be considered as non-pharmacological therapy to reduce anxiety. The results of this research are very useful for preparing operational plans and developing inpatient service systems, especially in providing health services to pediatric patients during intravenous insertion.