Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Gaming on Pain Reduction in Children during PIV/PICC Placement

This pilot trial examined the use of virtual reality (VR) gaming to improve children’s experiences during line placements and dressing changes. Children receiving intravenous line starts and peripherally inserted central catheter dressing changes and placements were eligible for enrollment. Enrolled subjects received either the VR intervention or routine care. Subjects and their caregivers were surveyed using the FACES scale (a pain intensity scale from 0 to 10 designed for children) before and after their line placement or dressing change. Clinical data were collected from the medical record, and study staff collected qualitative data about the subject’s experience immediately prior to and after the intervention. A total of 30 subjects were enrolled. Subjects in the VR group had lower FACES scores post-intervention and lower post-intervention scores when compared with the routine care group, although this difference was not statistically significant. VR gaming can be used as a non-invasive technique to reduce pain and distress in children receiving needle procedures. Future research should be done to assess the use of VR gaming to reduce pain and distress for other types of procedures and in other populations. VR gaming should be considered as a technique to reduce pain and distress for pediatric patients.