Sullivan Lindsay, Vriese Harrison, Ferguson Ellie, Armstrong Megan, Williams Hannah, Lemanek Kathleen, Wrona Sharon, Renner Lauren, Vater Lindsey, Xiang Henry
Division of Health Sciences, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, 333 W 10th Ave, Columbus, OH, 43210, United States, 1 6148140393.
Center for Injury Research and Policy, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States.
J Med Internet Res. 2025 Aug 15;27:e74082. doi: 10.2196/74082.
Virtual reality (VR) technology holds significant potential for chronic pain management in children and adolescents by providing an alternative and complementary approach to traditional methods of alleviating pain and improving quality of life. Parents play an important role in the successful adoption of VR technologies for children, influencing how children accept, use, and benefit from it. However, little is known about parents' views on integrating VR technology into pediatric and adolescent chronic pain management.
This study aimed to better our understanding of parents' perspectives regarding the integration of VR technology into pediatric and adolescent chronic pain management-including barriers, facilitators, and recommendations for future VR technologies.
Semistructured interviews were conducted with parents of children with chronic pain between March and November 2024. Key aspects of the discussion centered on the acceptability, barriers, and enablers of integrating VR technology into pediatric and adolescent chronic pain management. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed through inductive thematic analysis.
We conducted 12 interviews. We identified four broad themes from the interview data: (1) views toward integrating VR technology into chronic pain management (perceived benefits, distraction, and redirection); (2) barriers to using VR technology for chronic pain management (accessibility, complexity, discomfort, and symptom exacerbation); (3) facilitators of integrating VR technology into chronic pain management (addressing financial barriers, integrating VR technology into clinical care, establishing evidence of effectiveness and showcasing positive patient experiences); and (4) recommendations for program content and features (relaxation and mindfulness, physical activity, customization, and social connection).
Our findings underscore the perceived benefits of integrating VR technology into pediatric and adolescent chronic pain management to enhance physical, social, and mental health and well-being. However, there are several potential challenges that need to be addressed to improve the accessibility of VR technology for use in pediatric and adolescent chronic pain management. Our findings yielded several practical suggestions to guide the development of effective and equitable VR technology for chronic pain management in children and adolescents.
虚拟现实（VR）技术通过提供一种替代和补充传统缓解疼痛及改善生活质量方法的途径，在儿童和青少年慢性疼痛管理方面具有巨大潜力。父母在儿童成功采用VR技术中发挥着重要作用，影响着儿童如何接受、使用该技术并从中受益。然而，对于父母将VR技术整合到儿科和青少年慢性疼痛管理中的观点却知之甚少。
本研究旨在更好地了解父母对于将VR技术整合到儿科和青少年慢性疼痛管理中的看法，包括障碍、促进因素以及对未来VR技术的建议。
2024年3月至11月，对患有慢性疼痛儿童的父母进行了半结构化访谈。讨论的关键方面集中在将VR技术整合到儿科和青少年慢性疼痛管理中的可接受性、障碍和促进因素。访谈进行了录音、转录，并通过归纳主题分析进行分析。
我们进行了12次访谈。从访谈数据中确定了四个广泛的主题：（1）对将VR技术整合到慢性疼痛管理中的看法（感知到的益处、分散注意力和转移注意力）；（2）使用VR技术进行慢性疼痛管理的障碍（可及性、复杂性、不适和症状加重）；（3）将VR技术整合到慢性疼痛管理中的促进因素（解决经济障碍、将VR技术整合到临床护理中、建立有效性证据并展示积极的患者体验）；以及（4）对项目内容和功能的建议（放松和正念、体育活动、定制和社交联系）。
我们的研究结果强调了将VR技术整合到儿科和青少年慢性疼痛管理中对增强身体、社交和心理健康及幸福感的感知益处。然而，为了提高VR技术在儿科和青少年慢性疼痛管理中的可及性，有几个潜在挑战需要解决。我们的研究结果提出了一些实用建议，以指导开发用于儿童和青少年慢性疼痛管理的有效且公平的VR技术。
