Virtual Reality vs. Standard-of-Care for Comfort During Immunizations in Children

University of British Columbia

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Vaccination

Treatments: Device: Virtual Reality

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03693469

H18-01851

Details and patient eligibility

About

Children need routine immunizations which can be a painful procedure associated with pain and anxiety. This is particularly true of children visiting the children's hospital to visit relatives during flu season. No topical anesthetic or oral analgesia is commonly used.

Virtual Reality (VR) is an immersive experience using sight, sound, and position sense. Using VR may enhance distraction during the painful procedure and may reduce attention to pain.

This study will randomize children (6 - 16 years old) to receive Virtual Reality or standard of care while receiving immunizations. Investigators will measure pain, anxiety and satisfaction.

Enrollment: 64 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 6 to 16 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Children age 6 to 16 years
2. Patients arriving to the immunization clinic for immunization.
3. Parents will sign a consent form and children will sign an assent form

Exclusion criteria

1. Children with conditions that may prohibit participation or evaluation of the procedure (such as developmental delay)
2. Facial features or injury prohibiting wearing the VR goggles
3. VR system may interfere with immunization

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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64 participants in 2 patient groups

Virtual Reality

Experimental group

Description:

Participants are distracted by wearing the virtual reality headset and watching a roller coaster app during immunization.

Treatment:

Device: Virtual Reality

Control (Standard-of-Care)

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants are distracted with Standard-of-Care by doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, child life specialists and/or parents.