Observational Prospective Study Measuring the Impact of the Use of a Hypnotic Script Associated With Virtual Reality on the Pain of the Child's Sickle Cell During a Vaso-occlusive Crisis (DREPAReV)

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of Virtual Reality induced Hypnosis on patients' pain scores, anxiety and the use of analgesics during a vaso-occlusive crisis

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Sickle Cell Disease
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Virtual Reality

Detailed Description

Virtual reality hypnosis could probably reduce vaso-occlusive crisis-related (vaso-occlusive crisis) anxiety and pain and provide the patient with means of optimizing the ability to cope with the painful and anxiety-provoking situations encountered in general pediatric unit.

However, this non-pharmacological analgesic technique is little used in the context of vaso-occlusive crisis in children and adolescents in French pediatric services.

Currently, the average pain scores of children and adolescents hospitalized for vaso-occlusive crisis after treatment in the emergency department is 6 out of 10 on a simple numerical scale (according to a preliminary study conducted on 30 files of sickle cell disease patients over 6 years of age hospitalized in general pediatrics, Trousseau AP-HP hospital over a period of 6 months in 2018), despite the implementation of optimal pharmacological means with regard to the HAS analgesia recommendations. The pain score stays high despite a well-conducted analgesic treatment.

Our hypothesis is that virtual reality hypnosis could potentiate the effects of virtual reality by hypnotic suggestions specific to the pain of patients with vaso-occlusive crisis . This is a pain and anxiety reduction strategy that has, to our knowledge, never been evaluated.

So this is innovative by the method but also of the pediatric target population suffering from recurrent and severe pain.

A session of hypnoanalgesia suggestions associated with a virtual reality program will allow the patient to acquire the necessary competence to manage with his or her pain and thus be more autonomous in its management.

The physiopathological hypothesis of the research is that the immersion of the patient with vaso-occlusive crises related pain during a hypnotic experience induced by virtual reality allows to saturate his sensoriality, thus reducing nociceptive perceptions and vaso-occlusive crisis -related anxiety. We hypothesize that this experiment is feasible and that it can produce decrease in pain and anxiety scores for children benefiting from a virtual reality hypnosis session during vaso-occlusive crisis within one hour of session.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 12
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• France
  • Paris, France, 75012
    • Trousseau Hospital, General pediatric departement

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 6 years to 18 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Child over 6 years of age on the day of acceptance of the study (no upper limit)
• Suffering from sickle cell disease whatever genotype
• Admission in hospital for a VOC (vaso-occlusive crisis)
• Informed and signed consent by at least one legal guardian, if child is minor, and verbal agreement of the child himself.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Deaf patient, visually impaired patient, claustrophobic and/or aquaphobic patient
• Patient not understanding French
• History of psychiatric illness such as paranoia, schizophrenia, manic-depressive psychosis, high suicide risk patient.

The patient may be included several times in the study if he is hospitalized again during the inclusion period.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: VRH (virtual reality hypnosis)

Device: Virtual Reality; The procedure will consist of a virtual reality program associated with suggestions of hypnoanalgesia, be added to usual care. Included patients will benefit from the Virtual Reality program combined with hypnoanalgesia suggestions for a period of 20 minutes. We will use a helmet with a built-in screen and an audio headset connected to a control room. Patients will watch an Virtual Reality sequence while listening to narratives designed for the hypnoanalgesia of the present pain.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
pain assessment with score (patient)	Measuring pain thanks to score pain by the patient 3 hours after a Virtual Reality session performed within the first 6 hours after arrival in the general pediatrics unit Patients will use le Faces Pain Scale - Revised.	hours 3 after a virtual reality

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
pain assessment with score (patient)	Measuring pain thanks to score pain by the patient 10 minutes before the Virtual Reality session performed within the first 6 hours after arrival in the general pediatrics unit Patients will use le Faces Pain Scale - Revised.	10 minutes before HVR
pain assessment with score (patient)	Measuring pain thanks to score pain by the patient 1 hour after a Virtual Reality session performed within the first 6 hours after arrival in the general pediatrics unit Patients will use le Faces Pain Scale - Revised.	1 hour after a virtual reality
pain assessment with score (health care personnel)	Measuring pain thanks to score pain by the health care personnel 10 minutes before the Virtual Reality session performed within the first 6 hours after arrival in the general pediatrics unit Health care personnel will use EVENDOL score (score between " 0 " corresponding to " no pain sign " and " 15 " corresponding to " maximum pain signs ").	10 minutes before HVR
pain assessment with score (health care personnel)	Measuring pain thanks to score pain by the health care personnel 1 hour after a Virtual Reality session performed within the first 6 hours after arrival in the general pediatrics unit Health care personnel will use EVENDOL score (score between " 0 " corresponding to " no pain sign " and " 15 " corresponding to " maximum pain signs ").	1 hour after a virtual reality
pain assessment with score (health care personnel)	Measuring pain thanks to score pain by the health care personnel 3 hours after a Virtual Reality session performed within the first 6 hours after arrival in the general pediatrics unit Health care personnel will use EVENDOL score (score between " 0 " corresponding to " no pain sign " and " 15 " corresponding to " maximum pain signs ").	3 hour after a virtual reality
anxiety assessment	To assess efficacy on anxiety 10 minutes before the session, we will use a numerical scale graduated from 0 to 10 (" 0 " corresponding to " no anxiety " and " 10 " corresponding to " maximum anxiety ")	10 minutes before HVR
anxiety assessment	To assess efficacy on anxiety 1 hour after the session, we will use a numerical scale graduated from 0 to 10 (" 0 " corresponding to " no anxiety " and " 10 " corresponding to " maximum anxiety ")	1 hour after HVR
anxiety assessment	To assess efficacy on anxiety 3 hours after the session, we will use a numerical scale graduated from 0 to 10 (" 0 " corresponding to " no anxiety " and " 10 " corresponding to " maximum anxiety ")	3 hour after HVR
patient satisfaction assessment	We will use the Likert scale 3 hours after the session (" 0 " corresponding to " no satisfaction " and " 5 " corresponding to " complete satisfaction "	3 hour
health care personnel satisfaction assessment	We will use the Likert scale 3 hours after the session (" 0 " corresponding to " no satisfaction " and " 5 " corresponding to " complete satisfaction "	5 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
• Investigators: Study Chair: Sophie DUGUE, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 13, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 19, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): July 19, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 10, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 7, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): June 8, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): September 16, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 10, 2025
• Last Verified: May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Pain; Hypnosis; Virtual reality; Sickle cell disease; Vaso occlusive crises
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Genetic Diseases, Inborn; Hematologic Diseases; Anemia, Hemolytic, Congenital; Anemia, Hemolytic; Anemia; Hemoglobinopathies; Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Hemic and Lymphatic Diseases; Pain; Anemia, Sickle Cell; Vaso-Occlusive Crises
• Other Study ID Numbers: APHP201280; IDRCB2020-AO2248-31 (Other Identifier: ANSM)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No