NCT05744336

Impact of Virtual Reality on Anxiety in Patients Undergoing Interventional Procedures

Assessing the Impact of Immersive Virtual Reality Experience on Injection-related Anxiety in Patients Undergoing Interventional Pain Spine Procedures: a Prospective Randomized Trial

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 64 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Northwestern University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 80 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Periprocedural anxiety is a common problem for patients who undergo interventional pain procedures. Virtual Reality (VR) is an immersive experience that has gained acceptance in the medical field as a tool for reducing anxiety and pain for patients.Research Aim: To evaluate the effect of immersive virtual reality (VR) on periprocedural anxiety related to therapeutic cervical epidural steroid injections (ESI). The investigators hypothesize that immersive virtual reality will result in a clinically meaningful anxiety reduction, defined as the proportion of participants with \> 50% reduction in Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) anxiety scores when compared to participants in the non-treatment group who will have standard preprocedural waiting time conditions in clinic, but no VR experience. Similarly, the investigators hypothesize a significant reduction in objective sympathetic tone as measured by skin sympathetic nerve activity (SKNA).

Conditions

• Anxiety

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Group 1 Immersive Virtual Reality (VR)	Participants in Group 1 Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) participants wear the device covering their eyes. The viewing experience will include calming nature sounds for between 15-20 minutes before their planned plain clinic procedure
OTHER	Group 2 Control Group	Group 2 control group participants have no preprocedural intervention. Standard clinic waiting conditions for 15-20 minutes before their planned pain clinic procedure.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-03-12
• Primary completion: 2024-10-31
• Completion: 2024-11-30
• First posted: 2023-02-27
• Last updated: 2024-03-25

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States