Auditory distraction and VR reduce pain during burn dressing changes in adults receiving morphine

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the effect of auditory distraction and virtual reality (VR) on pain severity and physiological indicators during burn dressing changes among adult patients. DESIGN: A single-center, randomized controlled trial. METHODS: A total of 60 patients were randomly assigned to the auditory distraction (n = 20), VR (n = 20), and control (n = 20) groups. All patients in the three groups received intravenous morphine at a dose of 0.05 mg/kg body weight, 15 minutes prior to the dressing change. The auditory distraction group listened to music during the dressing, while the VR group used a headset to view nature images throughout the dressing procedure. Data collection tools were the numeric pain scale, a checklist form of the physiological Indicators, and a pulse oximetry device. RESULT: Statistically significant differences in pain severity were observed among the VR, auditory distraction, and control groups during dressing changes (p < .05). Despite all patients receiving intravenous morphine (0.05 mg/kg), both interventions led to greater pain reduction. Oxygen saturation and respiratory rates also differed significantly across groups (p < .05), with posthoc analysis confirming that both interventions were equally effective and superior to standard care. CONCLUSIONS: This study's findings demonstrated that auditory distraction was as effective as VR techniques in reducing fluctuations in physiological indicators and pain severity during dressing changes in adult patients. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Nonpharmacological interventions can serve as effective adjuncts alongside pharmacological treatments in pain management nursing.