The Effect of Using Virtual Reality and Kaleidoscope During Renal Scintigraphy on Children's Fear and Anxiety

January 30, 2026 updated by: Hüsniye ÇEKİÇ, Tarsus University

The Effect of Virtual Reality Goggles and the Kaleidoscope Application During Renal Scintigraphy on Children's Fear and Anxiety Levels

The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs that play a very important role in the human body. They are located on the right and left sides of the body, in the lower back. Their main function is to filter excess water and waste from the blood and excrete it through urine. Thus, they help maintain the body's fluid and electrolyte balance. They produce hormones that regulate blood pressure. They secrete the hormone erythropoietin, which stimulates the production of red blood cells. They play an important role in vitamin D metabolism to support bone health. Kidney scintigraphy is an important imaging method used to assess the function and structure of the kidneys. Using a radioactive substance, this test helps to examine the kidneys' blood flow, filtration and urine production. It is used to see how healthy the kidneys are working. It can help identify problems such as a mass or infection in the kidneys. It is used to detect urinary tract blockages caused by stones, tumors or other causes. It is important in patients who have had a kidney transplant to check that the new kidney is working properly. DMSA scintigraphy (Dimercaptosuccinic Acid scintigraphy) is a nuclear medicine imaging method used to assess the function and structural integrity of the kidneys. During imaging, the patient must remain immobile for a certain period of time, which can be difficult for children. Developing effective methods to divert children's attention and facilitate their adaptation to the hospital environment is of great importance in reducing both the comfort of patients and the workload of healthcare professionals. Virtual reality (VR) goggles are a highly effective tool for distraction. Because it engages our senses so intensely, it can cause us to largely ignore what is happening in the environment. VR goggles are very good at minimizing distractions or immersing you in a completely different atmosphere. The kaleidoscope is an impressive tool for diverting attention. Thanks to its mirrors and colored parts, it creates ever-changing and fascinating patterns. The hypnotic effect of the visual flow can relax the mind and help distract attention from stressful elements.

Study Overview

Status

Enrolling by invitation

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

90

Phase

  • 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

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Mersin
      • Mersin, Mersin, Turkey (Türkiye), 33330
        • Tarsus Üniversitesi

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria: Being between 4 and 6 years of age

  • Speaking Turkish
  • Having no communication problems
  • Administration of radiopharmaceutical medication to the child prior to imaging
  • Voluntary participation of the child and parent in the study

Exclusion Criteria: Not being between 4-6 years of age

  • Having a chronic disease other than a kidney abnormality
  • Having previously undergone a kidney scintigraphy scan
  • One of the parents having previously undergone a kidney scintigraphy scan
  • The child having a visual, hearing, or mental disability

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: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: no intervention routine application group
No distraction techniques were used with the children in this group. They were informed about the routine imaging procedure at the clinic and their parents were allowed to stay with them during the imaging.
Experimental: kaleidoscope group
During the scintigraphy scan (maximum 10 minutes), the children in this group had their attention diverted elsewhere using a kaleidoscope.
Other: kaleidoscope
for use in nuclear medicine
Experimental: virtual reality group
Children in this group were shown a cartoon featuring animals using virtual reality goggles. The video was started as soon as the child was placed on the scintigraphy device and continued until the scan was complete. The virtual reality goggles were removed once the scan was finished. Since the scan lasted a maximum of 10 minutes, care was taken to ensure that the selected video was at least 10 minutes long. Children who were given VR goggles were shown the cartoon "Smart Rabbit Momo." This process took an average of 10-15 minutes.
Other: virtual reality glasses
The use of virtual reality in nuclear medicine

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
The effect of virtual reality glasses and kaleidoscope application on children's fear and anxiety levels during renal scintigraphy.
Time Frame: about six months
about six months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Tarsus University

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)

August 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 8, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 30, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 30, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 6, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 6, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 30, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 5C679852b7f3

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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