CompletedNot Applicable

To Test Effectiveness of Virtual Reality on Post Operative Patients 'VR-RAP@

United Kingdom10 participantsStarted 2025-04-16

Plain-language summary

Virtual reality (VR) headsets (like those used in gaming) allow users to feel immersed in an artificial 3 dimensional environment. The user is able to look around within the environment and interact with it. Virtual reality has been used extensively in video games and also in training eg in flight simulators used to train pilots. There is now a growing use of VR in a clinical setting as virtual reality environments have been designed to help users relax and reduce anxiety or distract and reduce pain. Trials have shown that these can work in many situations including helping relax staff who are working in highly stressful situations, or to distract and help reduce pain in patients following injuries or during minor operations. The relaxation environments use pictures and sounds to create calm environments and can guide users in breathing exercises which help calm and relax. This study is to investigate whether it will be possible to do a study using a VR headset with a relaxation experience, in the days following abdominal surgery that leads to a reduction in anxiety and pain. Two groups of patients will be studied, one group will use the head set twice a day for up to 5 days and the other will not. They will record their pain and anxiety on a scale of 1 to 10 every day. The amount of pain reducing medicines that they need will also be recorded. The patients will be randomly divided into the 2 groups, they will not get to choose. The researchers will see whether patients are happy to use the headsets following surgery and at the end of the study, the pain and anxiety scores for the group which used the VR headset will be compared with the scores for the group that didn't.

Who can participate

Age range18 Years

SexALL

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AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.

Inclusion Criteria: * Adults 18 years and above Having elective laparoscopic colorectal surgery Patients who are able to understand English and can understand the Participant Information Sheet and give informed consent to take part in the study. Exclusion Criteria: presence of motion sickness * stroke * Severe nausea * isolation status for infection control * neurological conditions i.e. dementia, seizure, epilepsy * Suffering from delirium or acute confusional state * Skin on face or head is broken i.e. head wounds or dermatological conditions * Conversion to open surgery, if decided prior to consent * Patients with severe visual impairment (i.e., not able to clearly see without glasses; patients with contact lenses will not be excluded). * Inclusion in another trial to evaluate new ways of treating pain * Use of strong opioids (i.e., morphine)

What they're measuring

Percent of participants in the virtual reality group who complete 80% of potential sessions (i.e. twice per day until discharge; maximum 5 days)

Timeframe: (i.e. twice per day until discharge; maximum 5 days)

Trial details

NCT IDNCT07274098

SponsorEast Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust

Sponsor typeOTHER_GOV

Study typeINTERVENTIONAL

Primary completion2025-06-09