The experimental group received VR application in the preoperative period for 10 minutes.

The control group received the routine procedure in the unit clinic where the study was conducted. The routine procedure of the unit includes patients are taken to the operating room on a stretcher and wait on the stretcher in the surgery waiting room until the operation room is prepared.

During the transfer from the general surgery clinic to the operating room (3-5 minutes) and in the surgery waiting room, the VR aplication group were asked to wear a virtual reality headset (VR BOX 2) and headphones minimizing sound loss (Earpods with Apple Lightning Connector) that are compatible with mobile phones with IOS operating system. The VR headset and the headphones were controlled by a mobile phone (iPhone 7 Plus). The researchers had the patients watch three-dimensional videos (e.g. underwater world, museum trips, forest and park walks, beach trips, and space travel) for 10 minutes with their preferred background and relaxing music.

The psychological response of patients to preoperative anxiety was evaluated with Anxiety Specific to Surgery Questionnaire. With a total of 10 items, responses are made on a five-point Likert scale format ranging from 1 (do not agree at all) to 5 (completely agree). Anxiety Specific to Surgery Questionnaire score is obtained by adding the answers to all items (minimum score=10; maximum score=50). The increase in the scale score indicates that the level of anxiety increases.

The researchers administered Anxiety Specific to Surgery Questionnaire to all the patients before their transfer from the general surgery unit to the operating room, to the experimental group after virtual reality application, and to the control group 10 minutes after the first measurement.

Determine patients' physiological responses (systolic blood pressure) of preoperative anxiety after virtual reality application

The researchers measured systolic blood pressure to all the patients before their transfer from the general surgery unit to the operating room, to the experimental group after virtual reality application, and to the control group 10 minutes after the first measurement. At the same time, their systolic blood pressure values were followed on the portable monitor (Vismo, Nihon Kohden, Germany).