Cette page a été traduite automatiquement et l'exactitude de la traduction n'est pas garantie. Veuillez vous référer au version anglaise pour un texte source.

Virtual Reality-Assisted Cast Application in Children With Forearm Fractures (VR-CAST)

1 juillet 2026 mis à jour par: Lezgin Mert, Başakşehir Çam & Sakura City Hospital

Does Virtual Reality Reduce Pain, Anxiety, Physiologic Stress, and Return-Visit Fear During Pediatric Forearm Casting? A Randomized Controlled Trial

This prospective randomized controlled trial will evaluate whether virtual reality can reduce procedural distress in children undergoing cast application for forearm fractures. Children will be assigned to either a virtual reality group or a standard care group. In the virtual reality group, children will watch a 3-minute child-friendly animated educational video using a VR headset during cast application. The video explains the casting procedure, how to protect the cast, and what the child should do after the cast is applied.

The study will compare pain, anxiety, heart rate response, caregiver anxiety, and procedure-related fear between the two groups. The casting team will assess the child during the procedure. One day after cast application, each child will undergo an approximately 30-minute evaluation by a child psychiatry clinician who is blinded to group allocation. This follow-up assessment will evaluate the child's current anxiety, anxiety related to the cast experience, fear of returning to the hospital or doctor, and fear-related behaviors after the procedure.

Aperçu de l'étude

Description détaillée

Forearm fractures are common injuries in children and frequently require cast immobilization. Although cast application is a routine orthopedic procedure, children may experience pain, anxiety, fear, and physiologic stress during the procedure. In some children, this experience may also lead to fear of returning to the hospital or doctor, sometimes referred to as doctor-related or white coat-related fear.

Virtual reality may help children during medical procedures by providing immersive visual and auditory distraction. In addition, an age-appropriate educational video may reduce uncertainty by explaining what will happen during the procedure and how the child should care for the cast afterward.

This study is designed as a prospective, randomized, parallel-group clinical trial. Children with forearm fractures requiring cast application will be randomized into two groups: a virtual reality group and a standard care group. Children in the virtual reality group will wear a Meta Quest 3 headset during cast application and watch a 3-minute child-friendly animated educational video generated using Google Flow. The video explains the cast application process, cast protection, and post-cast care instructions. Children in the standard care group will undergo routine cast application without virtual reality. Apart from the virtual reality intervention, all clinical care will be the same between the two groups.

During cast application, the orthopedic casting team will record procedural pain, procedural anxiety, heart rate before the procedure, mean heart rate during the procedure, heart rate after a 2-minute recovery period, procedure duration, whether the virtual reality headset was removed, and whether nausea, dizziness, or discomfort occurred. Caregivers will also rate the child's anxiety, their own anxiety, and the child's pain before and after the procedure.

One day after cast application, each child will undergo an approximately 30-minute follow-up assessment by a child psychiatry clinician who is blinded to group allocation. Children and caregivers will be instructed not to disclose whether virtual reality was used. This blinded assessment will evaluate the child's current anxiety, anxiety related to the cast experience, anxiety while returning to the hospital or doctor, reluctance to return to the doctor, fear-related behaviors at home such as crying or sleep disturbance, and distress when remembering the cast procedure.

The primary objective of the study is to determine whether virtual reality reduces cast-related anxiety and subsequent doctor-related fear after cast application. Secondary objectives include evaluating the effect of virtual reality on procedural pain, procedural anxiety, heart rate response, caregiver anxiety, procedure duration, virtual reality tolerability, and caregiver preference for future use of virtual reality during similar procedures.

Type d'étude

Interventionnel

Inscription (Estimé)

120

Phase

  • N'est pas applicable

Contacts et emplacements

Cette section fournit les coordonnées de ceux qui mènent l'étude et des informations sur le lieu où cette étude est menée.

Coordonnées de l'étude

Lieux d'étude

    • Istanbul
      • Istanbul, Istanbul, Turquie (Türkiye), 34010
        • Recrutement
        • Basaksehir Çam Ve Sakura City Hospital
        • Contact:

Critères de participation

Les chercheurs recherchent des personnes qui correspondent à une certaine description, appelée critères d'éligibilité. Certains exemples de ces critères sont l'état de santé général d'une personne ou des traitements antérieurs.

Critère d'éligibilité

Âges éligibles pour étudier

  • Enfant

Accepte les volontaires sains

Non

La description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Children aged 4 to 15 years.
  • Diagnosis of an isolated forearm fracture requiring cast application with traction (greenstick injuries plastic deformation if NOT over 20 degrees bayonet apposition ok if <10 years and growth remains)
  • First cast application for the current fracture episode.
  • Typically developing children without a known developmental delay or cognitive impairment that would prevent participation in the study assessments.
  • Ability of the child to understand age-appropriate instructions and respond to pain, anxiety, and fear-related assessments with caregiver assistance when necessary.
  • At least one upper extremity free of immobilization, allowing heart rate assessment during the procedure.
  • Parent or legal guardian able to provide written informed consent.
  • Child assent when appropriate according to age and local ethics committee requirements.
  • Ability and willingness of the child and caregiver to attend an approximately 30-minute blinded child psychiatry assessment 1 day after cast application.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Open forearm fracture.
  • Multiple trauma or an additional painful injury that may affect pain, anxiety, or fear assessment.
  • Need for emergency surgery, procedural sedation, or general anesthesia during cast application.
  • Previous participation in this study.
  • Known developmental delay, cognitive impairment, autism spectrum disorder with inability to complete study assessments, or severe psychiatric disorder that may interfere with questionnaire-based evaluation.
  • Known epilepsy, photosensitive seizure disorder, severe motion sickness, vestibular disorder, or any condition considered unsafe for VR headset use.
  • Visual or hearing impairment preventing use of the VR intervention or completion of the assessments.
  • Head, face, or scalp injury preventing safe or comfortable use of a VR headset.
  • Nausea, dizziness, or severe discomfort before the procedure that would prevent VR use.
  • Refusal of the child or caregiver to participate.
  • Inability to complete the 1-day child psychiatry follow-up assessment.

Plan d'étude

Cette section fournit des détails sur le plan d'étude, y compris la façon dont l'étude est conçue et ce que l'étude mesure.

Comment l'étude est-elle conçue ?

Détails de conception

  • Objectif principal: Soins de soutien
  • Répartition: Randomisé
  • Modèle interventionnel: Affectation parallèle
  • Masquage: Seul

Armes et Interventions

Groupe de participants / Bras
Intervention / Traitement
Expérimental: Virtual Reality-Assisted Cast Application
Children in this group will undergo cast application while watching a 3-minute child-friendly educational animated video through a VR headset. The video explains the cast application procedure, cast protection, and post-cast care instructions. Apart from the VR intervention, routine orthopedic care will be provided.
Children assigned to the virtual reality group will watch a 3-minute child-friendly educational animated video through a VR headset during cast application. The video explains the cast application procedure, cast protection, and post-cast care instructions. The intervention is intended to reduce procedural distress through immersive visual and auditory distraction and age-appropriate education.
Comparateur actif: Standard Cast Application
Children in this group will undergo routine cast application without virtual reality. Standard verbal explanation and routine orthopedic care will be provided by the casting team.
Children assigned to the control group will undergo routine cast application without virtual reality. Standard verbal explanation and routine orthopedic care will be provided by the casting team.

Que mesure l'étude ?

Principaux critères de jugement

Mesure des résultats
Description de la mesure
Délai
Child Psychiatry-Assessed Cast Experience Anxiety Score at 1 Day
Délai: 1 day after cast application
Cast-related fear and anxiety will be assessed 1 day after cast application by a child psychiatry clinician blinded to group allocation using a structured questionnaire. The assessment will evaluate the child's fear or anxiety related to the cast experience, reluctance to return to the doctor or hospital, fear-related behaviors at home such as crying or sleep disturbance, and distress when remembering the cast procedure.
1 day after cast application

Mesures de résultats secondaires

Mesure des résultats
Description de la mesure
Délai
Procedural Anxiety Score During Cast Application
Délai: During cast application
The orthopedic casting team will assess the child's anxiety during cast application using a 0-100 score, where higher scores indicate greater procedural anxiety.
During cast application
Procedural Pain Score During Cast Application
Délai: During cast application
The orthopedic casting team will assess the child's pain during cast application using a 0-10 score, where higher scores indicate greater procedural pain.
During cast application
Change in Heart Rate During Cast Application
Délai: Before, during, and 2 minutes after cast application
Heart rate will be recorded before cast application, during the procedure, and after a 2-minute recovery period. Changes in heart rate from baseline to the procedural and recovery periods will be compared between groups.
Before, during, and 2 minutes after cast application
Procedure Duration
Délai: During cast application
The duration of cast application will be recorded in minutes from the start of the cast application procedure to completion of the procedure. Procedure duration will be compared between the virtual reality group and the standard care group.
During cast application
Physician-Rated Procedural Difficulty Score
Délai: During cast application
The physician performing the cast application will rate the procedural difficulty using a 0-10 score according to the child's cooperation, movement, crying, fear response, and overall behavioral reaction during cast application. Higher scores indicate greater procedural difficulty.
During cast application
Child Behavioral Response During Cast Application
Délai: During cast application
The child's behavioral response during cast application will be assessed by the casting physician. The assessment will include cooperation, crying, avoidance behavior, agitation, movement during the procedure, and overall tolerance of the cast application.
During cast application
Caregiver-Rated Child Anxiety
Délai: Immediately after cast application
Caregivers will rate how anxious they think their child is using a 0-100 score, where higher scores indicate greater child anxiety.
Immediately after cast application
Caregiver Anxiety Score
Délai: Immediately after cast application
Caregivers will rate their own anxiety using a 0-100 score, where higher scores indicate greater caregiver anxiety.
Immediately after cast application
Caregiver-Rated Child Pain Before and After Cast Application
Délai: Before and immediately after cast application
Caregivers will rate the child's pain before and after cast application using a 0-10 score, where higher scores indicate greater pain.
Before and immediately after cast application
Doctor-Related Fear at Follow-up
Délai: 1 day after cast application
Doctor-related fear after the cast experience will be assessed by a blinded child psychiatry clinician using a structured questionnaire. The assessment will include anxiety while returning to the hospital or doctor and reluctance to return to the doctor after the cast experience.
1 day after cast application
Post-Procedural Fear-Related Behaviors at Home
Délai: From cast application to 1-day follow-up
Fear-related behaviors at home after cast application will be assessed by the blinded child psychiatry clinician using caregiver and child responses. These behaviors may include fear, crying, sleep disturbance, reluctance to visit the doctor, or other procedure-related distress.
From cast application to 1-day follow-up
Distress When Remembering the Cast Procedure
Délai: 1 day after cast application
The child's distress when remembering the cast application procedure will be assessed by the blinded child psychiatry clinician using a structured questionnaire item. Higher scores or more severe responses indicate greater procedure-related distress.
1 day after cast application
Caregiver Preference for Future Virtual Reality Use
Délai: Immediately after cast application
Caregivers will be asked whether they would want virtual reality to be used again if a similar procedure is required. Responses will be recorded as yes, no, or undecided.
Immediately after cast application

Collaborateurs et enquêteurs

C'est ici que vous trouverez les personnes et les organisations impliquées dans cette étude.

Publications et liens utiles

La personne responsable de la saisie des informations sur l'étude fournit volontairement ces publications. Il peut s'agir de tout ce qui concerne l'étude.

Dates d'enregistrement des études

Ces dates suivent la progression des dossiers d'étude et des soumissions de résultats sommaires à ClinicalTrials.gov. Les dossiers d'étude et les résultats rapportés sont examinés par la Bibliothèque nationale de médecine (NLM) pour s'assurer qu'ils répondent à des normes de contrôle de qualité spécifiques avant d'être publiés sur le site Web public.

Dates principales de l'étude

Début de l'étude (Réel)

5 décembre 2025

Achèvement primaire (Estimé)

30 août 2026

Achèvement de l'étude (Estimé)

1 septembre 2026

Dates d'inscription aux études

Première soumission

27 juin 2026

Première soumission répondant aux critères de contrôle qualité

1 juillet 2026

Première publication (Réel)

6 juillet 2026

Mises à jour des dossiers d'étude

Dernière mise à jour publiée (Réel)

6 juillet 2026

Dernière mise à jour soumise répondant aux critères de contrôle qualité

1 juillet 2026

Dernière vérification

1 juillet 2026

Plus d'information

Termes liés à cette étude

Plan pour les données individuelles des participants (IPD)

Prévoyez-vous de partager les données individuelles des participants (DPI) ?

OUI

Description du régime IPD

De-identified individual participant data underlying the results reported in the published article may be shared upon reasonable request. Shared data will not include names, national identification numbers, contact information, or any directly identifiable personal information. Because the study includes children and child psychiatry assessments, data sharing will be limited to anonymized research data and will require approval by the principal investigator and compliance with applicable ethics committee and institutional regulations.

Délai de partage IPD

Data will become available beginning 6 months after publication of the main study results and will be available for 5 years.

Critères d'accès au partage IPD

Data may be shared with qualified researchers who submit a scientifically sound research proposal. Requests will be reviewed by the principal investigator. Data will be shared only for approved research purposes and after completion of any required data use agreement and ethics or institutional approvals.

Type d'informations de prise en charge du partage d'IPD

  • PROTOCOLE D'ÉTUDE
  • SÈVE
  • CIF
  • ANALYTIC_CODE
  • RSE

Informations sur les médicaments et les dispositifs, documents d'étude

Étudie un produit pharmaceutique réglementé par la FDA américaine

Non

Étudie un produit d'appareil réglementé par la FDA américaine

Non

Ces informations ont été extraites directement du site Web clinicaltrials.gov sans aucune modification. Si vous avez des demandes de modification, de suppression ou de mise à jour des détails de votre étude, veuillez contacter register@clinicaltrials.gov. Dès qu'un changement est mis en œuvre sur clinicaltrials.gov, il sera également mis à jour automatiquement sur notre site Web .

S'abonner