NCT07306442

VR for Pain & Sleep in Burn Patients: A RCT

Abadan University of Medical Sciences

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (actual)
• Sponsor: Abadan University of Medical Sciences · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 60 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study aims to evaluate whether virtual reality (VR) can reduce pain and improve sleep quality during wound dressing changes in burn patients with 25-60% total body surface area (TBSA) burns, compared to standard care.

Detailed description

Background: Burn injuries are extremely painful, especially during wound dressing changes. They also cause severe sleep problems, which can slow down healing. While medicines help, they often have side effects and don't fully solve these issues. Virtual reality (VR) is a new tool that distracts the brain from pain by immersing patients in a calming digital world. This study was designed to assess if VR could help with both pain and sleep in burn patients. Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial with 60 adult burn patients who had between 25% and 60% of their body burned. All patients were stable and able to understand instructions. We randomly assigned them into two groups: one group used VR headsets during their dressing changes, and the other group received standard care without VR. Pain was measured before and after the procedure using a simple 0-to-10 scale. Sleep quality was assessed using a standard questionnaire (PSQI) before and 24 hours after the treatment.

Conditions

• Burns
• Pain
• Sleep Disturbances

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Virtual Reality Distraction	Participants in the experimental group received immersive virtual reality distraction during their wound dressing change procedure. They wore an Oculus Quest 2 headset and were immersed in a calming, interactive virtual environment (e.g., a peaceful beach or forest) for the duration of the dressing change (approximately 30-45 minutes). The audio was enabled to enhance immersion. This intervention aimed to reduce procedural pain and improve sleep quality through cognitive distraction and relaxation.
OTHER	Standard Care	Participants in the control group received standard care during their wound dressing change, which included verbal reassurance and routine analgesic administration as prescribed, without any additional distraction techniques such as virtual reality. No specific intervention was administered beyond standard clinical practice.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-01-01
• Primary completion: 2025-06-01
• Completion: 2025-06-01
• First posted: 2025-12-29
• Last updated: 2025-12-29

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Iran