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The effect of virtual reality on pain and anxiety management during outpatient hysteroscopy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

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Abstract

Objective

Our study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) intervention for pain and anxiety relief during outpatient hysteroscopy.

Methods

Various databases were searched for available clinical trials from inception until June 2023. We selected randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared virtual reality intervention versus standard care among women undergoing outpatient hysteroscopy. We used Revman software to perform our meta-analysis. The primary outcome was the pain score during the procedure. The secondary outcomes were anxiety during the procedure and pain post-procedure. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to assess pain and anxiety.

Results

Six RCTs were retrieved, involving a total of 457 patients. Virtual reality was associated with a significant reduction in pain score during the procedure in comparison with the control group (MD = − 1.43, 95% CI [− 1.69, − 1.16], p < 0.001). In addition, there was a significant decrease in anxiety during the procedure among the virtual reality group compared to the control group (p = 0.01). The pain score post-procedure significantly decreased within the virtual reality group (MD = − 1.52, 95% CI [− 1.78, − 1.26], p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Virtual reality technology is a simple, feasible, and effective intervention for reducing pain and anxiety during outpatient hysteroscopy. More trials are required to confirm our findings.

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Data availability

All the extracted data are available in the figures and tables.

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Acknowledgements

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Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Saeed Baradwan

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia

    Majed Saeed Alshahrani

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maternity and Children Hospital, AlKharj, Saudi Arabia

    Rayan AlSghan

  4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Mohammad Alyafi

  5. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt

    Rasha Ezzat Elsayed & Faiza Ahmed Abdel-Hakam

  6. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt

    Abdelmonsef Abdelghaffar Moustafa

  7. Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care and Pain Management, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University for Girls, Cairo, Egypt

    Ayman Esmail Hussien

  8. Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care and Pain Management, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt

    Othman Saadeldien Yahia

  9. Department of Anesthesia and Surgical Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt

    Ahmed Abdelaziz Shama & Amr Ahmed Magdy

  10. Kasr Al-Ainy, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

    Ahmed Mohamed Abdelhakim

  11. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Fayoum University, Fayoum, Egypt

    Haitham Badran

Authors
  1. Saeed Baradwan
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  2. Majed Saeed Alshahrani
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  6. Faiza Ahmed Abdel-Hakam
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  7. Abdelmonsef Abdelghaffar Moustafa
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  8. Ayman Esmail Hussien
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  10. Ahmed Abdelaziz Shama
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  12. Ahmed Mohamed Abdelhakim
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Contributions

SB contributed to project development, data collection, and manuscript writing. MSA performed data interpretation and supervision. RA and AAM were involved in manuscript writing. MA did data acquisition and interpretation. REE, OSY, and A AAS performed manuscript critical revision. FAA-H was involved in data analysis. AEH and AAM contributed to manuscript editing. AMA was responsible for data analysis and manuscript writing. HB was responsible for supervision and manuscript critical revision.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ahmed Mohamed Abdelhakim.

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Baradwan, S., Alshahrani, M.S., AlSghan, R. et al. The effect of virtual reality on pain and anxiety management during outpatient hysteroscopy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Arch Gynecol Obstet 309, 1267–1280 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-023-07319-8

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