Using virtual reality for pain management in children

Virtual reality is a relatively new tool for human-computer interaction. A person becomes an active participant in a virtual world. Virtual reality has quickly become the research subject in various medical fields. For example, today many medical procedures are accompanied by severe pain syndrome and require pain relievers. Virtual reality as an effective non-pharmacological means of reducing pain may become a new way of pain management. Currently, there is not enough scientific papers on the efficacy of the method, which has become the reason for this literature review. The goal of the paper is to analyze electronic databases and scientific literature on the topic over the past 5 years (from 2014 to 2019). Virtual reality has been used to reduce pain in children (4 to 17 years old) in the following medical procedures: intravenous injections, care for burn wounds, wound dressing, drug blockade, vaccination, and acute pain syndrome. The results obtained show that virtual reality is an effective non-pharmacological method of pain management. However, there are still some unresolved questions on the interaction between virtual exposure and some pain killers. Moreover, it is also unclear what is more preferable: the initial use of virtual reality therapy followed by a standard therapy, or vice versa. Conclusion. More research is needed to understand the impact of virtual reality in pediatrics on both acute pain and chronic pain.