Impact of Passive VR Versus Active VR on Heat Pain Thresholds and Pressure Pain Thresholds

Stanford University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Anxiety; Pain

Treatments: Behavioral: Oculus Go headset with immersive virtual reality experience; Behavioral: Oculus Go headset without active intervention; Behavioral: Oculus Go headset with active intervention; Behavioral: Oculus Go headset without immersive virtual reality experience

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05836649

69330

Details and patient eligibility

About

This is a prospective, crossover study of healthy participants evaluating the impact of passive vs. active virtual reality (VR) games on heat pain threshold (HPT) and pressure pain threshold (PPT).

Full description

Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging, non-pharmaceutical intervention used to reduce perceived pain and anxiety in patients. VR's effect on pain and anxiety on patients is well-studied as is how VR games improve recalled pain and anxiety in pediatric burn and bone-fracture patients undergoing painful medical procedures. However, how differences in VR application construction (such as passive play vs. active play) impact patient perception of pain and anxiety is not well understood. In this study, we will measure the impact of passive vs. active VR applications on heat pain threshold (HPT) and pressure pain threshold (PPT), and immediate vs. recalled pain and anxiety levels.

Enrollment: 265 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 99 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• greater than 18 years of age
• English speaking
• hearing intact

Exclusion criteria

• a history of severe motion sickness
• currently have nausea
• history of seizures
• have hearing loss; are pregnant
• are currently taking beta blockers, chronotropic heart medications, or opioids or other prescription pain medications
• history of chronic pain or acute pain syndromes.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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265 participants in 4 patient groups

Active VR then Passive VR

Experimental group

Description:

Participant will conduct the Heat Pain Threshold experiment or Pressure Pain Threshold experiment using active VR first and then passive VR

Treatment:

Behavioral: Oculus Go headset with active intervention

Behavioral: Oculus Go headset without active intervention

Passive VR then Active VR

Experimental group

Description:

Participant will conduct the Heat Pain Threshold experiment or Pressure Pain Threshold experiment using passive VR first and then active VR

Treatment:

Behavioral: Oculus Go headset with active intervention

Behavioral: Oculus Go headset without active intervention

No immersive virtual reality followed by immersive virtual reality

Experimental group

Description:

Participant will conduct the Heat Pain Threshold experiment or Pressure Pain Threshold experiment using no immersive virtual reality first and then with immersive virtual reality.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Oculus Go headset without immersive virtual reality experience

Behavioral: Oculus Go headset with immersive virtual reality experience

Immersive virtual reality followed by No immersive virtual reality

Experimental group

Description:

Participant will conduct the Heat Pain Threshold experiment or Pressure Pain Threshold experiment using immersive virtual reality first and then with no immersive virtual reality.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Oculus Go headset without immersive virtual reality experience

Behavioral: Oculus Go headset with immersive virtual reality experience