Abstract
Virtual reality (VR), a technology that provides a stimulated sensory experience, has recently been implemented in various fields of medicine. Several studies have investigated the efficacy of VR on preoperative anxiety. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to validate whether VR could relieve preoperative anxiety in patients undergoing surgery. Electronic databases were searched to identify all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effect of VR on preoperative anxiety. The primary outcome was defined as the preoperative anxiety scores. We estimated the effect size using the standard mean difference (SMD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) using a random effect model. Ultimately, 10 RCTs, with a total of 813 patients, were included in the final analysis. Preoperative anxiety was significantly lower in the VR group than in the control group (SMD −0.64, 95% CI −1.08 to −0.20, p = 0.004). In a subgroup analysis, the preoperative anxiety scores were lower in the VR group than in the control group in pediatric patients (SMD −0.71, 95% CI −1.14 to −0.27, p = 0.002), whereas a significant difference was not observed between the two groups in adult patients (p = 0.226). The results of this meta-analysis indicated that VR could decrease preoperative anxiety, especially in pediatric patients.
Highlights
Surgery is a challenging and stressful event, and about 80% of patients scheduled for surgery experience preoperative anxiety due to fear of pain, fear of complications, or fear of death [1,2,3]
In the remaining 18 articles, the full texts were examined and among them, eight articles were excluded from the analysis due to the following reasons: no full-length articles (n = 4), patients experienced Virtual reality (VR) during surgery (n = 1), healthy subjects (n = 1), non-randomized trial (n = 1), and patients in both groups experienced VR (n = 1)
We used the data from the VR group and the standard group, excluding the iPad group, which was considered irrelevant within the scope of this study
Summary
Surgery is a challenging and stressful event, and about 80% of patients scheduled for surgery experience preoperative anxiety due to fear of pain, fear of complications, or fear of death [1,2,3]. This allows patients to become familiar with fearful situations [8,9]. A previous meta-analysis showed that VR was effectively used as exposure therapy in treating anxiety-related disorders [11]. Distraction is another strategy to relieve anxiety. VR provides attractive materials that can divert a patient’s attention from a stressful situation [12] Another meta-analysis showed the efficacy of VR as a distraction tool to reduce anxiety during medical procedures [13]. We designed and conducted a meta-analysis to verify the effect of VR in patients undergoing surgery
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