• Virtual reality reduces pain and fear in suturing. • Virtual reality is an effective distraction tool with potential to reduce anxiety. • Virtual reality is a feasible, nurse-led tool to enhance patient comfort. • Virtual reality is a scalable tool to strengthen global emergency nursing practice. Virtual reality (VR) is a promising nonpharmacological approach for reducing procedural distress during emergency department laceration repair. This systematic review and meta -analysis evaluated the effectiveness of VR in alleviating pain, anxiety, and fear and assessed the certainty of evidence. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, six databases were searched from inception to August 2025 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing VR with standard care. Two reviewers independently screened studies, assessed risk of bias using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool, and conducted meta -analyses when at least two trials reported comparable outcomes. Results : Six RCTs (n = 607) were included. VR significantly reduced pain (SMD = − 0.75, 95% CI: −1.29 to − 0.21, P = 0.007) and fear (SMD = − 0.90, 95% CI: −1.55 to − 0.26, P = 0.006). Anxiety reduction did not reach statistical significance (SMD = − 1.80, 95% CI: − 3.89 to 0.28, P = 0.090), though trends were favorable. All trials had some concerns regarding risk of bias, and certainty of evidence—especially for anxiety—was limited. Conclusion and recommendations. VR is a feasible, nurse-led intervention with consistent benefits for pain and fear and potential value for anxiety. Larger, high-quality RCTs are needed to guide emergency nursing practice.
Liang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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