Virtual reality in pain relief during chronic wound dressing change

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effect of virtual reality in pain relief during chronic wound dressing change. Method: This is an experimental study carried out with 17 participants, in a stomatherapy clinic in Ceará, Brazil, from June to December 2019, using the virtual reality glasses Oculus Go®. Sociodemographic and clinical information, as well as of lifestyle, and characteristics of the lesions were collected. A faces scale and a visual analogue scale were used for pain assessment, behavioral aspects assessment, satisfaction, and discomfort with Oculus Go®. The Chi-square, McNemar, and Wilcoxon tests were used. The study was approved under opinion No. 2.649.144/2019. Results: There was a reduction in pain during dressing change with Oculus Go®. Participants with Oculus Go® manifested less pain during (p < 0.001) and after (p < 0.001) dressing change; and had lower heart rate before (p = 0.044) and after (p = 0.001) the procedure. There were significant differences between groups in systolic (p = 0.012) and diastolic (p = 0.004) blood pressure values after dressing. Virtual reality did not cause any discomfort and participants were satisfied. Conclusion: Virtual reality showed positive effects in pain relief during chronic wound dressing change.