De La Cruz Herrera Mercedes, Fuster-Casanovas Aïna, Miró Catalina Queralt, Cigarrrán Mensa Mireia, Vilanova Guitart Isabel, Agüera Sedeño Antonio, Vidal-Alaball Josep, Grau Carrión Sergi
Centre d'Atenció Primària Súria, Gerència d'Atenció Primària i a la Comunitat de la Catalunya Central, Institut Català de la Salut, Sant Fruitós de Bages, Spain.
Intelligence for Primary Care Research Group, Fundació Institut Universitari per a la Recerca a l'Atenció Primària de Salut Jordi Gol i Gurina, Manresa, Spain.
PLoS One. 2025 May 7;20(5):e0322840. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0322840. eCollection 2025.
Pain and anxiety caused by vaccination and other medical procedures in childhood can generate discomfort in both the patient and their parents. Virtual reality is a non-pharmacological distraction technique, capable of diverting patients' attention to a virtual environment, potentially reducing pain signals during the procedure and becoming a method of analgesia, reinforcing traditional methods. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the reduction of pain and anxiety following the administration of two vaccines.
A randomized, multicenter, open, parallel and controlled clinical trial was carried out in two assigned groups; in which were included 300 children aged 3 and 6 years, who were candidates to receive two vaccines. The intervention group used virtual reality glasses while the control group received traditional care. Pain and anxiety were assessed using validated scales; the heart rate and the satisfaction of legal guardians were also recorded.
A total of 150 patients were included in each group. 53.3% of the intervention group reported no pain during the first vaccination, compared to 25.3% of the control group; with regard to the second vaccination, 49.3% of the virtual reality group reported no pain, compared to 21.3% of the control group. 71.1% of the intervention group faced the first vaccination calmly; 52% and 56.7% did not show anxiety at the end of the vaccination respectively; as for the control group, 71.8% faced the first vaccination calmly, 23.3% did not show anxiety at the end of the first intervention and 19.3% did not show anxiety at the end of the second vaccination. The heart rate was significantly lower in the intervention group. The satisfaction of legal guardians in the virtual reality group was higher than in the control group.
the use of virtual reality reduces pain and anxiety during vaccination in pediatric population. Registered in ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06313762.
儿童接种疫苗及其他医疗程序所引发的疼痛和焦虑会给患者及其父母带来不适。虚拟现实是一种非药物分心技术，能够将患者的注意力转移到虚拟环境中，有可能在程序进行期间减少疼痛信号，并成为一种镇痛方法，强化传统方法。本研究的主要目的是评估接种两种疫苗后疼痛和焦虑的减轻情况。
在两个指定组中进行了一项随机、多中心、开放、平行且对照的临床试验；纳入了300名3至6岁的儿童，他们均为接种两种疫苗的候选对象。干预组使用虚拟现实眼镜，而对照组接受传统护理。使用经过验证的量表评估疼痛和焦虑；还记录了心率以及法定监护人的满意度。
每组共纳入150名患者。干预组中53.3%的患者在首次接种疫苗时报告无疼痛，而对照组为25.3%；关于第二次接种，虚拟现实组中49.3%的患者报告无疼痛，对照组为21.3%。干预组中71.1%的患者在首次接种时表现平静；在接种结束时，分别有52%和56.7%的患者未表现出焦虑；至于对照组，71.8%的患者在首次接种时表现平静，在第一次干预结束时23.3%的患者未表现出焦虑，在第二次接种结束时19.3%的患者未表现出焦虑。干预组的心率明显较低。虚拟现实组中法定监护人的满意度高于对照组。
在儿科人群中使用虚拟现实可减轻接种疫苗期间的疼痛和焦虑。在ClinicalTrials.gov上注册：NCT06313762。
