The following is the summary of “Satisfaction and tolerability using virtual reality (VR) as adjunctive treatment during flexible bronchoscopy: a randomized control trial” published in the January 2023 issue of Pulmonary medicine by Sooriyaghandan, et al.
It is crucial that patients feel at ease during therapeutic and invasive procedures. To improve patient tolerance and satisfaction during flexible bronchoscopy (FB), no research has been done on the use of virtual reality (VR) equipment as a distraction tool. Researchers hope to determine whether or not FB with VR improves the experience for participants and how well they tolerate it. Patients having bronchoscopy were randomized into a control and interventional (VR) group in this single-center, open-label trial. Care standards were maintained for the control group as usual during FB.
The experimental group was given a virtual reality (VR) headset preloaded with calming nature videos and instrumental music throughout FB. A 10-centimeter visual analog scale was used to rate pain, shortness of breath, and cough levels before and following FB. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was employed to do the evaluation of anxiety. Following the Facebook session, all participants filled out a satisfaction survey utilizing a 5-point Likert scale. A total of 80 people participated, 40 in each treatment group. The median (interquartile range) satisfaction score for the VR group was 5.0 (range, 3.0–5.0), while it was 4.0 (range, 2.0–4.0) for the control group (P<0.001).
A decrease in post-FB breathlessness, cough, and anxiety was observed in the intervention group (p = 0.042, P=0.001, P<0.001), whereas there was no difference in pain intensity (P=0.290). The use of virtual reality (VR) during focus groups (FB) improved participants’ levels of happiness and tolerance for the activity (breathlessness and cough). In addition, the VR group had noticeably lower anxiety levels.
Source: bmcpulmmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12890-023-02304-y