Virtual Reality for Procedural Pain During IV Cannulation in Children (VR-PED)

July 31, 2026 updated by: Muazzez Seker Gezici, Ege University

The Impact of Virtual Reality Distraction on Procedural Pain, Duration, and Parental Satisfaction During Intravenous Cannulation and Blood Sampling in the Pediatric Emergency Department: A Prospective Quasi-Experimental Study

This study evaluates whether virtual reality (VR)-based distraction can reduce pain during intravenous cannulation and venous blood sampling in children treated in a pediatric emergency department. Children aged 6-11 years who required these procedures received either standard care or VR distraction using age-appropriate audiovisual content. The primary outcome was procedure-related pain measured by the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale. Secondary outcomes included procedural duration, cooperation, first-attempt success, behavioral distress, and parental satisfaction. The study also explored whether the effectiveness of VR was associated with patient engagement during the procedure.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Painful procedures such as intravenous cannulation and venous blood sampling are common in pediatric emergency departments and may lead to distress, anxiety, and negative healthcare experiences. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a non-pharmacological intervention that may reduce procedural pain through immersive distraction.

This prospective quasi-experimental study was conducted in a tertiary pediatric emergency department between September 2024 and September 2025. A total of 150 children aged 6-11 years requiring intravenous cannulation or venous blood sampling were included. Participants were enrolled sequentially, with 100 children assigned to the VR group and 50 to standard care. The VR intervention consisted of age-appropriate audiovisual content delivered through a VR headset during the procedure.

The primary outcome was procedure-related pain measured using the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale. Secondary outcomes included procedural duration, cooperation, first-attempt success, behavioral distress, parental satisfaction, and VR response. The study aimed to assess whether VR distraction may improve procedural experience and reduce procedure-related pain in pediatric emergency settings.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

150

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

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

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Children aged 6-11 years
  • Requirement for intravenous cannulation or venous blood sampling in the -pediatric emergency department
  • Ability to understand and engage with virtual reality content
  • Written informed consent obtained from parent or legal guardian

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Visual or hearing impairment preventing VR use
  • Neurological or developmental disorders affecting communication or cooperation
  • Altered level of consciousness
  • Hemodynamic instability requiring immediate intervention
  • Previous participation in the study
  • Refusal of participation by the child or parent/legal guardian
  • Contraindications to virtual reality exposure (e.g., severe motion sickness or intolerance)

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: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Virtual Reality Group
Children received age-appropriate audiovisual distraction through a virtual reality headset during intravenous cannulation or venous blood sampling procedures.
Device: Virtual Reality-Based Distraction
Participants received age-appropriate audiovisual distraction through a virtual reality headset (Meta Quest 3S) during intravenous cannulation or venous blood sampling. The intervention aimed to reduce procedural pain and distress by redirecting attention away from the procedure toward immersive VR content.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Procedure-related pain
Time Frame: Immediately after the procedure
Procedure-related pain assessed using the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale (WBFPS) following intravenous cannulation or venous blood sampling.
Immediately after the procedure

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Ege 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)

September 13, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

January 22, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

January 22, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 21, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 31, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

August 3, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 3, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 31, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • EGE-ETHICS-22-5.1T-33
  • Project No: 32350 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Ege University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data (IPD) will not be publicly shared because the study includes pediatric participants, and data sharing may increase the risk of participant re-identification. De-identified data may be made available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author, subject to institutional ethics approval and applicable regulations.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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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