Home›Cardiology› Virtual reality significantly reduces pain, fear, and anxiety in pediatric patients during needle procedures
Virtual reality significantly reduces pain, fear, and anxiety in pediatric patients during needle proceduresVirtual reality reduces pain and fear in children during needle procedures
Frontiers in MedicinePublished August 9, 2026Study authors: Shuai Yi, Yujiang Fan, Jie Ren, Zhaobing Zheng, Tingting Wang, Jiajia BaiDOI ↗Editorial oversight: Dr. Amelia Tan, PhD · Internal Medicine & Chronic Disease
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Key Takeaway
Consider virtual reality to reduce pain, fear, and procedure duration in pediatric patients during needle procedures.
This meta-analysis evaluated the impact of immersive and non-immersive virtual reality as a distraction intervention for pediatric oncology patients (aged 21 years or younger) undergoing needle-related procedures. The analysis included 536 patients to compare VR against standard care or active distraction.
The synthesis showed significant reductions across multiple domains. Self-reported pain (SMD = -0.99; 95% CI: -1.37 to -0.61, p = 0.001) and parent-reported pain (SMD = -1.10; 95% CI: -1.66 to -0.54, p < 0.001) were significantly lower in the VR group. Similarly, nurse-reported pain showed a significant reduction (SMD = -1.00; 95% CI: -1.92 to -0.08, p = 0.025). Psychological metrics also improved, with significant reductions in self-reported fear (WMD = -1.10), parent-reported fear (WMD = -1.31), and nurse-reported fear (WMD = -1.15). Anxiety scores were significantly lower for both patients (SMD = -1.06) and parents (SMD = -1.59). Additionally, distress was reduced (SMD = -0.35; p = 0.032), and procedure duration was shortened by an average of 0.76 minutes (WMD = -0.76; p = 0.009). Heart rate showed no significant effect (p = 0.544).
Authors noted that several outcomes were based on few small trials and substantial heterogeneity was present. Due to these limitations, the evidence is not sufficient to recommend routine implementation until larger multicenter RCTs are conducted.
How this fits prior evidence
This finding addresses a gap in pediatric oncology supportive care by evaluating non-pharmacological interventions for needle-related procedures. While prior coverage has focused on metabolic and molecular markers of cancer progression, such as the impact of sarcopenia or aberrant IgG glycosylation, this meta-analysis provides evidence regarding the management of procedural distress and pain in pediatric populations.
Imagine the fear a child feels when facing a needle. For young patients fighting cancer, these moments are often filled with intense anxiety and physical pain. New data suggests that immersive virtual reality can act as a powerful distraction to help them cope during these difficult moments.
A review of 536 pediatric patients showed that using virtual reality led to significant drops in self-reported pain and anxiety. It also reduced the fear reported by both parents and nurses. Beyond just making the child feel better emotionally, the technology actually shortened the time it took to complete needle-related procedures.
While these results are promising, researchers note that some of the data comes from small trials with a lot of variation between studies. Because of this, doctors suggest looking at larger, multi-center studies before making it a standard routine. However, the evidence clearly shows virtual reality is an effective tool for calming children and reducing their distress during treatment.
What this means for you:
Virtual reality significantly reduces pain, fear, and anxiety in children undergoing needle-related medical procedures.
Common questions
Does virtual reality actually reduce pain for kids?
Yes. The data shows a significant reduction in self-reported pain for children under 21 who used virtual reality during needle procedures. It also significantly lowered the amount of pain reported by parents and nurses.
Can it help with the fear and anxiety kids feel?
Yes, it can. The study found that virtual reality significantly reduced self-reported fear, anxiety, and distress. These improvements were also noted by both parents and nurses during the procedures.
Does using virtual reality make the procedure faster?
Yes, the data shows a significant reduction in procedure duration when using virtual reality as a distraction. It may help the medical team complete needle-related tasks more quickly.
Needle-related procedures are a significant source of pain, anxiety, and distress for children with cancer. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) as a distraction intervention for reducing these outcomes in pediatric oncology patients undergoing needle-related procedures.
A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PsycINFO, and CINAHL was conducted from database inception to March 23, 2026. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effect of VR (immersive or non-immersive) compared to standard care or active distraction in pediatric oncology patients (aged ≤21 years) undergoing needle-related procedures. The primary outcome was self-reported pain. Secondary outcomes included parent-reported pain, nurse-reported pain, self-reported fear, parent-reported fear, nurse-reported fear, self-reported anxiety, parent-reported anxiety, distress, procedure duration, and heart rate. Meta-analyses were performed using random-effects models. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2.0 tool.
Ten RCTs enrolling 536 participants were included. VR significantly reduced self-reported pain (Standardized Mean Difference [SMD] = -0.99, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: -1.37 to -0.61, p = 0.001, I² = 71.7%), parent-reported pain (SMD = -1.10, 95% CI: -1.66 to -0.54, p < 0.001, I² = 83.6%), and nurse-reported pain (SMD = -1.00, 95% CI: -1.92 to -0.08, p = 0.025, I² = 80.0%). Significant reductions were also observed in self-reported fear (Weighted Mean Difference [WMD] = -1.10, 95% CI: -1.50 to -0.70, p < 0.001, I² = 58.0%), parent-reported fear (WMD = -1.31, 95% CI: -1.58 to -1.03, p < 0.001, I² = 7.1%), nurse-reported fear (WMD = -1.15, 95% CI: -1.55 to -0.75, p < 0.001, I² = 0.0%), self-reported anxiety (SMD = -1.06, 95% CI: -1.63 to -0.49, p = 0.002, I² = 79.9%), parent-reported anxiety (SMD = -1.59, 95% CI: -2.24 to -0.95, p < 0.001, I² = 51.5%), and distress (SMD = -0.35, 95% CI: -0.67 to -0.03, p = 0.032, I² = 19.6%). VR also significantly shortened procedure duration (WMD = -0.76 minutes, 95% CI: -1.34 to -0.19, p = 0.009, I² = 0.0%) but had no significant effect on heart rate (WMD = 1.57, 95% CI: -3.51 to 6.64, p = 0.544, I² = 80.3%). The overall risk of bias was low risk for five studies, some concerns for four studies, and high risk for one study.
The available evidence suggests that VR may reduce pain, fear, anxiety, and distress and may shorten procedure duration in pediatric oncology patients undergoing needle-related procedures. These findings should be interpreted cautiously because several outcomes were based on few small trials and substantial heterogeneity was present. Larger multicenter RCTs are needed before routine implementation can be recommended.
https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42026134853.
