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Cited by 388Pediatric Pain Management TechniquesVirtual Reality Applications and ImpactsPain Management and Treatment

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 140 of the 140 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Virtual Reality as a Distraction Intervention to Relieve Pain and Distress During Medical Procedures: A Comprehensive Literature Review

Indovina, Paola, Barone, Daniela, Gallo, Luigi, Chirico, Andrea, De Pietro, Giuseppe, Giordano, Antonio·2018·The Clinical Journal of Pain
DOI 10.1097/ajp.0000000000000599
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Abstract

Objectives: This review aims to provide a framework for evaluating the utility of virtual reality (VR) as a distraction intervention to alleviate pain and distress during medical procedures. We first describe the theoretical bases underlying the VR analgesic and anxiolytic effects and define the main factors contributing to its efficacy, which largely emerged from studies on healthy volunteers. Then, we provide a comprehensive overview of the clinical trials using VR distraction during different medical procedures, such as burn injury treatments, chemotherapy, surgery, dental treatment, and other diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Methods: A broad literature search was performed using as main terms “virtual reality,” “distraction,” and “pain.” No date limit was applied and all the retrieved studies on immersive VR distraction during medical procedures were selected. Results: VR has proven to be effective in reducing procedural pain, as almost invariably observed even in patients subjected to extremely painful procedures, such as patients with burn injuries undergoing wound care, and physical therapy. Moreover, VR seemed to decrease cancer-related symptoms in different settings, including during chemotherapy. Only mild and infrequent side effects were observed. Discussion: Despite these promising results, future long-term randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes and evaluating not only self-report measures but also physiological variables are needed. Further studies are also required both to establish predictive factors to select patients who can benefit from VR distraction and to design hardware/software systems tailored to the specific needs of different patients and able to provide the greatest distraction at the lowest cost.

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Crossref · 10.1097/ajp.0000000000000599

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Wender, 2009, Interactivity influences the magnitude of virtual reality analgesia, J Cyber Ther Rehabil, 2, 27
  2. Maani, 2008, Pain control during wound care for combat-related burn injuries using custom articulated arm-mounted virtual reality goggles, J Cyberther Rehabil, 1, 193
  3. Asl Aminabadi, 2012, The impact of virtual reality distraction on pain and anxiety during dental treatment in 4-6 year-old children: a randomized controlled clinical trial, J Dent Res, 6, 117

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Metadata

Authors
Indovina, P., Barone, D., Gallo, L., Chirico, A., De Pietro, G., & Giordano, A.
Affiliations
  • Indian Council of Agricultural Research (IN)
  • Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale" (IT)
  • Temple University (US)
  • Institute for High Performance Computing and Networking, ICAR-CNR
  • University of Siena (IT)
Corresponding author
  • Indovina, Paola
  • Gallo, Luigi
ORCID
Venue
The Clinical Journal of Pain
Publisher
Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Published
2018-09
Volume
34
Issue
9
Pages
858-877
ISSN
0749-8047 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1097/ajp.0000000000000599
OpenAlex
W2792172828
Cited by
388
References
140
Citations by year
2026: 53 · 2025: 56 · 2024: 58 · 2023: 56 · 2022: 54 · 2021: 55 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 6
FWCI
5.31
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Clinical Journal of Pain (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • IRIS Research product catalog (Sapienza University of Rome) (submittedVersion)
  • Use Siena air (University of Siena) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Pediatric Pain Management Techniques
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Pain Management and Treatment
Keywords
virtual reality, distraction therapy, procedural pain, analgesia, anxiety reduction, burn wound care, chemotherapy, dental treatment, surgical procedures, cancer symptoms, immersive virtual reality, adverse effects
MeSH terms
Procedural Pain, Virtual Reality, Attention, Humans, Stress, Psychological

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