Comparison of Virtual Reality and Passive Distraction on Burn Wound Care Pain in Adolescents

Comparison of Virtual Reality and Passive Distraction on Burn Wound Care

Relief of severe burn wound care pain may require both medications to relieve pain and non-medication interventions,such as distraction. Little is known about distraction's effectiveness. Virtual reality may be an effective distraction. The aims of this study are 1)to evaluate the effect of virtual reality (VR), a newer interactive kind of distraction, compared to passive distraction (PD) by watching a movie, and usual care (SC) that is provided by the nurses, on pain experienced by adolescents during burn wound care and 2)to determine the relationship among anxiety, desire for distraction, and engagement with distraction on the pain.

Inclusion Criteria:

• undergoing burn wound care in the Arkansas Children's Hospital (ACH) outpatient burn clinic;
• first time visit to the ACH outpatient burn clinic or first clinic visit without conscious sedation;
• adolescents ages 10 to 17 years;
• English speaking;
• absence of a history of motion sickness (motion sickness has been reported in some VR users);
• absence of a seizure disorder (because prolonged immersion in VR may lead to seizures and vertigo in individuals with seizure disorders, these individuals will be excluded from the study);
• absence of a cognitive developmental disability determined on prescreening by presence of a Section 504 accommodation plan or Title VIII individualized educational plan (IEP) in school. If the parent identifies the nature of the IEP or 504 plan as unrelated to a cognitive delay, then the child or adolescent will be included in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Burns that would interfere with study procedures
• Incarcerated minors
• Children in foster care