Effect of a Virtual Reality Environment Using a Domed Ceiling Screen on Procedural Pain During Intravenous Placement in Young Children

Importance Distraction using virtual reality (VR) has been found to provide a clinically significant reduction in the experience of pain during various painful procedures. Commercially available VR systems usually require the user to wear a head-mounted display helmet, which can be challenging for young children, and whether VR can reduce pain during intravenous (IV) placement in young children is currently unknown. Objective To determine whether a VR environment using a novel domed ceiling screen reduces distress among children over the course of IV placement compared with standard care in a pediatric emergency department. Design, Setting, and Participants This randomized clinical trial was conducted from June 3, 2020, to February 8, 2021, at an urban tertiary academic children’s hospital. Included were children aged 6 months to 4 years undergoing IV placement in the pediatric emergency department. Intervention Children in the intervention group lay on a bed to experience a VR animation using a domed ceiling screen during the IV placement procedure, which was performed as usual. Children in the control group also lay on a bed during the procedure but did not view a VR animation. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was pain scores measured using the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability (FLACC) scale at 4 time points during IV placement: immediately after the child lay down on the bed (T1), the moment the tourniquet was applied (T2), the moment a sterile alcohol swab was applied (T3), and the moment the needle penetrated the skin (T4). Results Of the 88 children included in the final analysis, 44 received VR distraction (median [IQR] age, 24.0 [14.5-44.0] months; 27 boys [61.4%]), and 44 received standard care (median [IQR] age, 23.0 [15.0-40.0] months; 26 boys [59.1%]). The median [IQR] FLACC scores at T4 were 6.0 (1.8-7.5) in the intervention group and 7.0 (5.5-7.8) in the control group. The ordinal logistic regression model showed that children in the VR intervention group vs the control group had a lower probability of higher FLACC scores (odds ratio, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.28-0.99; P = .046). Conclusions and Relevance The findings of this trial indicate that displaying VR using a domed ceiling screen may be an effective distraction method that reduces distress in young children undergoing IV placement. Trial Registration isrctn.org Identifier: KCT0005122