Video Glasses Reduce Preoperative Anxiety Compared With Portable Multimedia Player in Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

PurposePreoperative anxiety in children is challenging for anesthesia providers and nurses. The use of video glasses (VG), an immersive head mount display, helps conceal the unfamiliar operating room environment from the patient's visual field. The aim of this study was to determine the anxiolytic effect of VG compared with that of a portable multimedia player (PMP) during the preoperative period in children. DesignProspective randomized trial. MethodsParticipants were randomized into VG or PMP groups. Patients watched their favorite animation videos using the allocated device from the time of entering the preanesthetic holding area to the end of anesthetic induction. We evaluated modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale scores during anesthetic induction. FindingsThe modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale score in the VG group was significantly lower than that in the PMP group (P = .001). ConclusionsIn children, the anxiolytic effect of VG during the preoperative period is larger than that of PMP.