VR Pain reduction for burn treatments
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Using Virtual Reality as a distraction technique to reduce pain during burn treatments.
IRAS ID
221071
Contact name
Keith Fildes
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Hallam University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 28 days
Research summary
Patients with chronic wounds experience acute pain during dressing changes. This is currently addressed by using strong analgesia, including opiates, which can have unwanted side effects and dependence. This project seeks to explore the feasibility and acceptability of immersive distraction techniques in a Virtual Reality (VR) 'game', controlled through eye and head movements during burns dressing changes, and their impact on the experience of pain and anxiety in patients.
Ten patients will be recruited by clinical staff, and three dressing changes will act as the focus for this study: one under normal conditions without VR, one with a passive VR experience, and one with an interactive VR experience. Participants will be asked to rate their pain and anxiety before, after and between each dressing change. Pulse rate and medication use during dressing changes will also be monitored as objective measures of pain and distress. Participants will be interviewed very briefly after each dressing change for qualitative data about their experience, and their preferences for and perceptions of passive or interactive VR environments. Staff will participate in a focus group in which they will be asked to discuss their perception and experiences of the intervention in action. Data will be analysed for key descriptive and thematic outcomes, and utilised to inform a future larger scale trial.REC name
London - Fulham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/0326
Date of REC Opinion
22 Feb 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion