College of Nursing
View Related Pages
Amber Elkins, RN, DNP, CRNA
Amber Elkins, RN, DNP, CRNA
DNP Nurse Anesthesia
Virtual Reality as an Anesthetic Adjunct Among Orthopedic Patients
Project Category: Evidence Synthesis
Project Team: Amber Elkins, DNP, CRNA, Wade Banks, DNP, CRNA Advisor: Dr. Stephen A. Flaherty, PhD, CRNA
Abstract
Background: Regional anesthesia has grown increasingly popular as a primary anesthetic in orthopedic procedures and patients undergoing regional anesthesia have concerns about awareness during surgery. Thus, it is important to research interventions to address these concerns. Virtual reality (VR) can provide multisensory distraction while helping reduce auditory and visual stimulus in the OR. This literature synthesis aims to evaluate how VR affects anxiety intraoperatively with patients undergoing regional anesthesia for orthopedic procedures.
Methods: A systematic search of the literature was conducted through MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL Complete, and EMBASE. The studies which met inclusion criteria were evaluated using JBI critical appraisal tools to assess for a risk of bias. Study results were organized into tables comparing the results for anxiety measurements, anxiolytic medication administration, and patient satisfaction.
Results: Six randomized controlled trials (RCT), five quasi-experimental studies, and one cohort study were included in the synthesis. Several studies found a significant decrease in intraoperative anxiety, while others demonstrated a decrease in anxiety without meeting significance or no statistical reduction in anxiety at all. Anxiety was measured using a variety of methods, contributing to heterogeneity among the results.
Conclusion: There is some evidence to suggest it may prove beneficial in some cases. Among all sample populations few negative effects were noted indicating using virtual reality intraoperatively poses minimal risks to those utilizing it while still potentially decreasing intraoperative anxiety.
