Virtual reality for pain and anxiety in young children: It is far from magic

Abstract

Virtual reality in medicine is fashionable but here to stay. The integration into clinical applications and practices, however, is still in its infancy. Virtual reality, as opposed to augmented reality, generates a computer-generated environment using mobile devices and specialized headsets. This is in contrast to augmented reality, where avatars or artificial images are superimposed onto real-world objects. Virtual reality has been used in medical teaching, rehabilitation, treatment of psychological disorders, management of acute and chronic pain, prior to medical and surgical procedures. By placing the participant into a virtual environment, which changes accordingly to ones movements, these "21st century Pygmalion's spectacles" lead to a deep sense of presence in the virtual world. 2 This provides a high degree of distraction, making it potentially superior to any other means. Virtual reality has been, therefore, touted as the simple, novel form of the classic distraction technique that alleviates all stress and anxiety in children undergoing a potentially frightening and even worse, painful procedures. This is an attractive concept as unpleasant and painful hospital experiences in children may result in the development of posttraumatic stress symptoms that can be carried until the adulthood. 3