TY  - JOUR
AU  - Tashjian, Vartan C
AU  - Mosadeghi, Sasan
AU  - Howard, Amber R
AU  - Lopez, Mayra
AU  - Dupuy, Taylor
AU  - Reid, Mark
AU  - Martinez, Bibiana
AU  - Ahmed, Shahzad
AU  - Dailey, Francis
AU  - Robbins, Karen
AU  - Rosen, Bradley
AU  - Fuller, Garth
AU  - Danovitch, Itai
AU  - IsHak, Waguih
AU  - Spiegel, Brennan
PY  - 2017
DA  - 2017/03/29
TI  - Virtual Reality for Management of Pain in Hospitalized Patients: Results of a Controlled Trial
JO  - JMIR Ment Health
SP  - e9
VL  - 4
IS  - 1
KW  - pain
KW  - virtual reality
KW  - inpatients
KW  - hospitalization
AB  - Background: Improvements in software and design and reduction in cost have made virtual reality (VR) a practical tool for immersive, three-dimensional (3D), multisensory experiences that distract patients from painful stimuli. Objective: The objective of the study was to measure the impact of a onetime 3D VR intervention versus a two-dimensional (2D) distraction video for pain in hospitalized patients. Methods: We conducted a comparative cohort study in a large, urban teaching hospital in medical inpatients with an average pain score of ≥3/10 from any cause. Patients with nausea, vomiting, dementia, motion sickness, stroke, seizure, and epilepsy and those placed in isolation were excluded. Patients in the intervention cohort viewed a 3D VR experience designed to reduce pain using the Samsung Gear Oculus VR headset; control patients viewed a high-definition, 2D nature video on a 14-inch bedside screen. Pre- and postintervention pain scores were recorded. Difference-in-difference scores and the proportion achieving a half standard deviation pain response were compared between groups. Results: There were 50 subjects per cohort (N=100). The mean pain reduction in the VR cohort was greater than in controls (−1.3 vs −0.6 points, respectively; P=.008). A total of 35 (65%) patients in the VR cohort achieved a pain response versus 40% of controls (P=.01; number needed to treat=4). No adverse events were reported from VR. Conclusions: Use of VR in hospitalized patients significantly reduces pain versus a control distraction condition. These results indicate that VR is an effective and safe adjunctive therapy for pain management in the acute inpatient setting; future randomized trials should confirm benefit with different visualizations and exposure periods. Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02456987; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02456987 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6pJ1P644S) 
SN  - 2368-7959
UR  - http://mental.jmir.org/2017/1/e9/
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/mental.7387
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28356241
DO  - 10.2196/mental.7387
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/mental.7387
ER  -