Children who participated in a virtual reality tour experienced less presurgical anxiety than peers not given a VR tour, according to a study published in the British Journal of Surgery.
For the study, researchers randomized 69 pediatric surgical patients into VR or control groups. The 34 patients in the VR group received a tour of the operating room prior to surgery. Researchers then assessed all patients' anxiety levels using the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale. The VR group displayed lower anxiety levels than the control group.
"Medical practice has been changing a great deal with the convergence of [information and communications technology] and healthcare," said Dr. Sung-Hee Han, a physician in the department of anesthesia at Seoul National University College of Medicine in South Korea. "This study shows how medicine and ICT can be coordinated to achieve clinical significance. More studies and investigations are expected in line with the current trend."
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