• Aykut Turgut, Arzu Özcan İlçe, and Hülya Öztürk.
• Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, Gölköy Campus, Bolu, Turkey. Electronic address: turgut_aykut@yahoo.com.
• Pain Manag Nurs. 2024 Jul 1.

PurposeTo determine the effects of virtual reality (VR) interventions on pre- and postoperative anxiety, pain, and parental satisfaction in children.DesignA randomized controlled trial.MethodsChildren undergoing surgery for the first time and their families were randomly assigned to the control or VR group. The control group received conventional education regarding the perioperative process. The VR group watched a VR video illustrating the operating theater and explaining the perioperative process. The primary outcome of interest was preoperative anxiety, evaluated using the Children's State Anxiety Scale. Secondary outcomes of interest included postoperative pain ratings using the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale and parental satisfaction scores using the PedsQL Health Care Satisfaction Scale.ResultsThe analysis included 70 children and their families (control = 35, VR = 35). Demographic characteristics were similar between the groups. Children in the VR group had significantly lower preoperative anxiety scores (p < .001) and postoperative anxiety scores (p = .010) compared to the control group. Parental satisfaction scores were significantly higher in the VR group (p < .001). The VR group had lower postoperative pain scores, but this difference was not statistically significant (p > .05).ConclusionsPreoperative education using VR tours may reduce preoperative anxiety and increase parental satisfaction. However, the lack of baseline measurements limits our ability to definitively attribute these effects to the VR intervention. Despite this, VR is a promising nonpharmacological strategy for managing children's anxiety and increasing parental satisfaction.Clinical ImplicationsVirtual reality interventions offer an effective nonpharmacological strategy for perioperatively managing children's anxiety and increasing parental satisfaction.Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.

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