Paediatric anaesthesia
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Dec 2022
Review Meta AnalysisVirtual Reality in Pediatrics, Effects on Pain and Anxiety: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Update.
Medical procedures are often accompanied by pain and anxiety in pediatric patients. A relatively new technique to reduce pediatric pain and anxiety is virtual reality. Virtual reality is both applied as a distraction tool and as an exposure tool to prepare patients for medical procedures. Research into the application of virtual reality in medical settings is rapidly evolving. This meta-analysis is an update of the meta-analysis of Eijlers et al. investigating the effectiveness of virtual reality as an intervention tool on pain and anxiety in pediatric patients undergoing medical procedures. ⋯ The current updated systematic review and meta-analysis indicates that virtual reality is a useful tool to reduce pain and anxiety in pediatric patients undergoing a range of medical procedures as it significantly decreases pain and anxiety outcomes when compared to care as usual.