Effect of Virtual Reality on Agitation in Acute Stroke

August 23, 2026 updated by: Nazlı Can Denizhan, Ankara Etlik City Hospital

The Effect of Virtual Reality Application on Agitation in Individuals With Acute Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Single-Blind Study

This randomized controlled, single-blind study evaluates the effect of a Virtual Reality (VR) application on agitation levels and physiological vital signs in patients with acute stroke. Participants are randomly assigned to an intervention group receiving standard clinical care plus structured VR sessions, or a control group receiving standard clinical care alone. Agitation scores and vital signs (heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation) are measured pre- and post-intervention to evaluate the outcomes of VR therapy.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Stroke is a sudden medical condition that affects the brain. During the acute phase of a stroke, many patients experience agitation, which means feeling restless, anxious, or uncooperative. Agitation can complicate medical care and negatively affect a patient's recovery and vital signs (such as heart rate and blood pressure).

The main purpose of this study is to evaluate whether using a Virtual Reality (VR) application helps reduce agitation levels and stabilize vital signs in individuals who have experienced an acute stroke.

This is a randomized controlled, single-blind clinical trial. Participants with acute stroke will be randomly assigned to one of two groups:

Intervention Group: Participants will receive a structured Virtual Reality (VR) application session in addition to their routine stroke care.

Control Group: Participants will receive standard routine clinical care and monitoring without the VR application.

Researchers will measure and compare the participants' agitation levels using a clinical evaluation scale before and after the intervention. In addition, physiological vital signs (including heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation) will be closely monitored to determine the effects of the VR therapy.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
68

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • * Individuals who have passed 48 hours post-acute CVA (being in the acute phase of stroke treatment, stroke duration not exceeding the first 4 weeks)

    • Having a score of 0 on the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale
    • Having a score of at least +2 or higher on the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS)
    • Being 18 years of age or older
    • Having a GCS score of 13 or higher
    • Having no hearing or visual impairments
    • Not being in contact isolation due to a contagious disease
    • Being literate in Turkish
    • Not being administered sedation
    • Being awake and hemodynamically stable
    • Being able to sit in high Fowler's position
    • Individuals without mechanical ventilation support

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of nausea and vomiting

    • Mobility restriction and sensitivity to claustrophobia
    • Presence of delirium
    • Presence of schizophrenia and dementia
    • Presence of vertigo and Meniere's disease
    • Having a pain score of 1 point or higher
    • Having facial damage to the extent that a virtual reality headset cannot be worn

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Intervention Group
Participants in this arm receive structured Virtual Reality (VR) application sessions in addition to standard clinical stroke care and management.
Behavioral: Virtual Reality Application
Participants receive structured Virtual Reality (VR) relaxation and distraction sessions in addition to standard clinical stroke care to manage post-stroke agitation.
Active Comparator: Control Group
Participants in this arm receive standard routine clinical stroke care and monitoring alone, without any Virtual Reality intervention.
Other: Standard Care (in control arm)
Participants receive routine standard clinical stroke care and monitoring alone without any Virtual Reality intervention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Body Temperature
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-intervention), immediately post-intervention, and 1 hour post-intervention
Assessment of body temperature (°C) evaluated across three time points.
Baseline (pre-intervention), immediately post-intervention, and 1 hour post-intervention
Change in Heart Rate
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-intervention), immediately post-intervention, and 1 hour post-intervention
Assessment of heart rate (beats/min) evaluated across three time points.
Baseline (pre-intervention), immediately post-intervention, and 1 hour post-intervention
Change in Blood Pressure
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-intervention), immediately post-intervention, and 1 hour post-intervention
Assessment of blood pressure (mmHg) evaluated across three time points.
Baseline (pre-intervention), immediately post-intervention, and 1 hour post-intervention
Change in Respiratory Rate
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-intervention), immediately post-intervention, and 1 hour post-intervention
Assessment of respiratory rate (breaths/min) evaluated across three time points.
Baseline (pre-intervention), immediately post-intervention, and 1 hour post-intervention
Change in Oxygen Saturation
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-intervention), immediately post-intervention, and 1 hour post-intervention
Assessment of oxygen saturation (SpO2, %) evaluated across three time points.
Baseline (pre-intervention), immediately post-intervention, and 1 hour post-intervention
Change in Agitation Levels
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-intervention), immediately post-intervention, and 1 hour post-intervention
Agitation levels evaluated using a validated clinical agitation rating scale across three time points (pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, and post-intervention) to assess changes in patient agitation.
Baseline (pre-intervention), immediately post-intervention, and 1 hour post-intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Ankara Etlik City Hospital

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Çankırı Karatekin University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Seher Gönen Şentürk, PhD, Çankırı Karatekin University, Faculty of Health Sciences

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 8, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 16, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 20, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 18, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 23, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 26, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 26, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 23, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • ÇAKÜ-SBF-NCD-01
  • SBF111224L11 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Cankiri Karatekin University)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be shared in order to protect participant confidentiality and privacy in accordance with ethical board guidelines and informed consent agreements.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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