Virtual game helps children escape realities of...(from burn patients. Burn nurses report ...),Health

In order to better understand the effect on pain, doctors at Nationwide Childrens have launched a study to compare the results of virtual reality pain distraction with traditional distraction techniques, such as watching television, listening to music, counting and deep breathing. Patients will be randomly assigned to receive virtual reality or another pain distraction technique. Following the procedure, they will be asked to gauge their level of pain on a scale of zero to 10. The study will also assess the perspectives of parents and nurses in terms of the childs pain and level of distress.

The burn programs goal is to be able to better engage the child in a distraction activity which will hopefully have a beneficial affect on the procedure. An added benefit for patients may be a decrease in the amount of pain and anxiety medications needed. However doctors point out that pain is a very individual experience, and the benefits of virtual reality distraction as well as the level of medication must be determined on a case by case basis.