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Description
Practice Problem: Pediatric oncology patients often experience anxiety during needle procedures. Even with anesthetic pain management in place, visually encountering the needle can be more distressing than the procedure itself. Virtual Reality (VR) has emerged as a nonpharmacological tool that provides immersive distraction, effectively lowering pain perception and anxiety. Studies show VR reduces anxiety during medical procedures, including accessing Implanted venous access devices (IVAD). Yet, its adoption in pediatric oncology settings remains limited.
Literature/Evidence: Search strategy in the CINAHL (EBSCOhost) database used MeSH headings and keywords, including English articles published within the last five years. Studies show that VR reduces pain, anxiety, and fear during procedures. A 2024 meta-analysis found VR led to 50% lower pain scores and improved physiological responses. Most children (85.7%) expressed willingness to reuse VR. Customizable programs enhance engagement and support patient-centered care. Integrating VR at the bedside addresses a gap in coping tools, aligning with ethical responsibilities to reduce trauma and improve procedural experiences.
Practice Change: This project integrates virtual reality (VR) as a standard distraction during IVAD access for pediatric oncology patients. This initiative engages pediatric hematology/oncology nurses in implementing VR to reduce procedural distress. Nurses, positioned at the intersection of technical and emotional care, play a central role in delivering this evidence-based, immersive intervention. This shift supports patient-centered care, enhances pain management, and promotes emotional safety without disrupting clinical workflow.
Implementation: A team of trained VR champions, nurses, patient care technicians, and child life specialists, will support implementation under the project lead guidance. Champions will receive 1:1 training on setup, maintenance, and patient coaching. VR will be integrated into IVAD access workflows, with age-appropriate apps selected to boost engagement. The project begins with an inpatient pilot, expanding to outpatient use. Staff engagement will be supported through debriefings, coaching, monthly updates, and standardized scripts to ensure consistent, effective implementation.
Outcomes/Results: Initial outcomes from the pilot demonstrated positive patient responses to VR use during IVAD access. One patient removed the headset prior to the procedure, expressing a desire to visually observe the process, highlighting the importance of patient autonomy and individual coping styles. Another patient, who had no prior VR experience, reported that the procedure felt better with VR and expressed willingness to use it again. Early observations suggest that VR can enhance procedural tolerance and support varied patient preferences, reinforcing its value as a customizable, patient-centered intervention.
Recommendation/Conclusion: Early results support the feasibility and acceptability of VR as a nonpharmacological strategy for reducing distress during IVAD access in pediatric oncology patients. The intervention will be expanded to additional pediatric units, with long-term sustainability supported by integrating VR into routine workflows and providing ongoing training and refresher sessions for staff. Future phases of this initiative will explore the use of augmented reality (AR) glasses for patients who prefer to remain partially engaged with their environment rather than fully immersed. This next step aims to broaden accessibility and accommodate a wider range of patient coping preferences, further advancing emotionally supportive, patient-centered procedural care.
Publication Date
9-22-2025
Keywords
Pediatric nursing
Disciplines
Pediatric Nursing
Recommended Citation
Barber-Esparza, Javarius, "Fierce and Focused - Virtual Reality Support for Pediatric Oncology Patients" (2025). TCU EBP Fellowship. 17.
https://scholarlycollection.childrens.com/nursing-posters-tcuebp/17
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
