Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Environment for Post-Operative Pain Management

Abstract

The imperative need of post-operative period is effective pain management. Virtual reality (VR) causes psychological distraction from pain stimuli, and thus may cause pain alleviation. The study was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of VR distraction on post-operative pain and experience of VR sessions among the patients. A hospital-based interventional study was conducted for a period of two months with the objectives to estimate changes in post-operative pain intensity after VR session as well as to analyze experience related to VR interventions. It comprised patients of either gender undergoing surgery and with 1–3 days of hospitalization, who were randomized into two groups (age and gender matched). The control group was kept on standard post-operative pain management. The interventional group was subjected to VR exposure in addition to standard care therapy. The Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) scores were obtained twice post-operatively in subsequent days. I-group presence questionnaire (IPQ) responses were obtained after the VR session. Both control and interventional groups had 25 participants each for analysis. In both the groups, majority were given bupivacaine for anesthesia and combination of paracetamol and diclofenac for post-operative analgesia. The NRS scores of both groups obtained post-operatively on standard therapy without VR intervention did not show any significant difference. However, the post-VR-sessions’ NRS scores showed significant reduction as compared to pre-session scores among the participants of the interventional group. The responses obtained via IPQ revealed acceptance for the features of realism, engagement, and presence during VR intervention. Majority confirmed their willingness to undergo VR sessions in future. VR session helped in significant reduction of pain perception as VR simulation diverted considerable attention away from the pain. Majority expressed positive inclination for utilization of VR in comprehensive patient care.