The use of virtual reality technology as a method of reducing pain and anxiety in neurosurgical patients in the postoperative period

This study presents an investigation of the impact of virtual reality technology on pain and anxiety levels in neurosurgical patients in the postoperative period. The study included 22 patients with neurovascular pathology. 12 patients underwent therapy sessions using virtual reality technology for 3 days after surgery (main group), 10 patients were included in the control group. All patients received questionnaires to determine the level of anxiety according to Beck and Zung one day before the surgery. The next day, the patients underwent surgery — clipping of the aneurysm neck from a standard pterional approach. All patients were assessed for anxiety and pain within 3 days after surgery, and hemodynamic parameters were measured — blood pressure, heart rate. According to the results of statistical data processing, no statistically significant difference was found between the main and control groups in the change in the level of anxiety and pain by the end of the study. There were also no statistically significant differences in the use of painkillers and antiemetics between the two groups in the first 3 days after surgery. When assessing hemodynamic parameters, a statistically significant difference was noted only in the change in systolic pressure — in patients in the main group, systolic pressure decreased to a greater extent than in the control group. The use of virtual reality technology as a method for reducing pain and anxiety is a promising direction, but did not show a statistically significant result. The effectiveness of this method may be reduced due to individual limitations in mastering the skills of using the equipment, and therefore additional studies with a larger group of subjects are required.