A randomised controlled trial to assess the feasibility of utilising virtual reality to facilitate analgesia during external cephalic version

Abstract

external cephalic version (ecV) is associated with a moderate degree of pain. Virtual reality (VR) is a technology that has shown promise in offering procedural analgesia. We undertook a clinical pilot to assess the viability of VR to reduce pain during ECV. In an open randomised controlled trial (RCT), we randomised 50 women to either VR or standard care each (25 per group). Women receiving VR were administered VR content (Skylights) via a headset. Pre-and post-procedural measures of pain, anxiety, device experience and vital signs were measured. There were no significant differences between groups (VR/no VR) in pain scores (60.68 vs 49.76; p = 0.2), ECV success rates (80% vs 76%; p = 0.7) or anxiety levels. The women receiving VR had a significantly higher anticipation of pain pre-procedurally (70.0 vs 50.0; p = 0.03). 20 (80%) of the VR women indicated that they would use VR again and 22 (88%) indicated they would recommend it to a friend having ECV. There were no significant differences between groups for side effects encountered or changes in vital signs. We have shown that using VR during ecV is feasible and appears safe. our results inform the design of future Rcts. open Scientific RepoRtS | (2020) 10:3141 | https://doi.

Effect of virtual reality application on the delivery stages length and maternal satisfaction

“…Additionally, the findings of our study are consistent with Smith, et al, (2020) research, "A Randomized Controlled Trial to Assess the Feasibility of Using Virtual Reality to Facilitate Analgesia During External Cephalic Version," which showed that 88% of women who received VR said they would recommend it to a friend who was having (ECV) External cephalic version and 80% of women who received it said they would use it again. In addition, the findings of this study were in agreement with those of Sridhar et al, (2020), who investigated "Nonpharmacological anxiety reduction with immersive virtual reality for first-trimester dilation and curettage."…”

A virtual reality system for pain and anxiety management during outpatient hysteroscopy—A randomized control trial

“…To date, a similar-scale study of VR use validated with vital signs in gynecological procedures without anaesthesia has not been undertaken as far as we know. Researchers are now beginning to explore this field with various gynecological procedures (Deo et al, 2020;Smith et al, 2020). The few recent studies in the field have included women from different age groups, clinical backgrounds and populations.…”

A randomised controlled trial for the effectiveness of an audiovisual device on anxiety and pain perception during a nerve block for chronic pain relief

“…We were surprised to observe that a third of patients in the intervention groups removed the video glasses during the procedure, and only 58% would use this technology again. This latter percentage is lower than other studies where 74 to 95% were satisfied, even when no significant effects on anxiety or pain were reached 3–7 . Interestingly, as in other studies, 94% wanted this device to be available for others, although they did not want it for themselves 3,4 …”