Virtual reality hypnosis for needle-related procedural pain and fear management in children: a non-inferiority randomized trial.

Abstract

VRH may be an effective and safe treatment option besides MH for reducing patient-reported pain in children during a needle-related procedure. VRH was non-inferior to MH in patient-reported fear and both treatments were comparable in terms of patient-reported fear, observer-reported pain and fear, physical distress, and patient satisfaction. ICTRP https://trialsearch.who.int/ , trial ID NL9385; date registered: 03/04/2021. • Medical hypnosis is effective in reducing procedural distress in children during needle-related procedures. • Virtual reality (VR) is an audiovisual electronic device that guides users into an immersive three-dimensional environment. • This study shows that VR hypnosis is non-inferior to medical hypnosis in reducing pain and fear in children undergoing a needle-related procedure. • Both VR hypnosis and medical hypnosis were appreciated highly by children to distract them during needle-related procedures.