Virtual reality distraction decreases pain during daily dressing changes following haemorrhoid surgery

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether immersive virtual reality (VR) distraction could decrease pain during postoperative dressing changes. METHODS: This was a prospective, open-label randomized clinical trial that enrolled patients that had undergone haemorrhoidectomy. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups: a control group that received the standard pharmacological analgesic intervention during dressing change and a VR group that received VR distraction during dressing change plus standard pharmacological analgesic intervention. Pain scores and physiological measurements were collected before, during and after the first postoperative dressing change. RESULTS: A total of 182 patients were randomly assigned to the control and VR groups. The baseline characteristics of the VR and control groups were comparable. There was no significant difference in mean pain scores prior to and after the dressing change procedure between the two groups. The mean pain scores at the 5-, 10-, 15- and 20-min time-points during the first dressing change were significantly lower in the VR group compared with the control group. Heart rates and oxygen saturation were not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Immersive VR was effective as a pain distraction tool in combination with standard pharmacological analgesia during dressing change in patients that had undergone haemorrhoidectomy.