Comparison of Virtual Reality, EMLA Cream, and Standard Care for Pain During Blood Draws in Children

August 8, 2026 updated by: Marie Lulková

Comparison of the Efficacy of Virtual Reality and Topical Anesthetic During Venipuncture in Children: a Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled trial evaluates methods to reduce pain during venipuncture in children aged 3 to 15 years. The study compares three approaches: virtual reality distraction using a VR headset, topical anesthesia with EMLA cream, and standard care without an additional pain-reducing intervention. The main question is whether virtual reality reduces pain during venipuncture more effectively than EMLA cream or standard care. Pain is assessed immediately after venipuncture using the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale (0-10). The planned study sample includes 450 children.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

450

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 Contact

Study Locations

  • Czechia
    • Ústí nad Labem Region
      • Ústí nad Labem, Ústí nad Labem Region, Czechia, 40011
        • Recruiting
        • Krajska zdravotni, a.s. - Masarykova nemocnice v Usti nad Labem
        • Contact:

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:

  • Children aged 3 to 15 years.
  • Clinical indication for venipuncture.
  • Written informed consent provided by a parent or legal guardian and verbal or written assent from the child, as appropriate for age and cognitive ability.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Known hypersensitivity to local anesthetics.
  • Diagnosed mental disorder.
  • Current treatment with analgesic or anxiolytic medications.
  • Venipuncture not successful on the first attempt.

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: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Virtual Reality
Children assigned to this arm receive virtual reality distraction during venipuncture using a Meta Quest 3 headset. The same 360° wildlife video is presented to all participants. Children can change the direction of view by moving their head but cannot control the content or sequence of the video. The headset is used throughout the venipuncture procedure.
Behavioral: Virtual Reality Distraction
Virtual reality distraction is provided during venipuncture using a Meta Quest 3 headset. All participants assigned to this intervention view the same 360° wildlife video. Children can change the direction of view by moving their head but cannot control the content or sequence of the video. The headset is used throughout the venipuncture procedure.
Active Comparator: EMLA Cream
Children assigned to this arm receive topical EMLA cream containing lidocaine and prilocaine at the planned venipuncture site. The application site is covered with an occlusive dressing, and the cream is left in place for at least 60 minutes before venipuncture.
Drug: Lidocaine-Prilocaine Cream
Topical EMLA cream containing lidocaine and prilocaine is applied to the planned venipuncture site, covered with an occlusive dressing, and left in place for at least 60 minutes before venipuncture.
No Intervention: Standard Care
Children assigned to this arm receive standard nursing care during venipuncture according to routine clinical practice. No additional pharmacological or non-pharmacological intervention specifically aimed at reducing procedural pain is provided.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain Intensity During Venipuncture
Time Frame: Immediately after venipuncture
Pain intensity is self-reported immediately after venipuncture using the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale (0-10), where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst pain. Lower scores indicate lower perceived pain intensity.
Immediately after venipuncture

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Marie Lulková

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 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 8, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 8, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

August 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 8, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 321/1

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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