The benefits and safety of a virtual reality intervention in patients suffering from acute and chronic pain: A pilot study

doi:10.1177/20552076241308703

PSYCH OpenIR

	The benefits and safety of a virtual reality intervention in patients suffering from acute and chronic pain: A pilot study
	Ma, Bingjie 1; Zhang, Libo 2,3; Ji, Yun 1; Huang, Xuehua 1; Yao, Luandi 4; Cheng, Wei 4; Hu, Li 2,3; Lu, Xuejing 2,3; Ma, Ke 1
通讯作者	Lu, Xuejing(luxj@psych.ac.cn) ; Ma, Ke(marke72@163.com)
摘要	Background: To overcome the challenge of psychotherapist scarcity in applying pain psychotherapy in clinical practice, we developed a virtual reality (VR) program delivering weeks of pain psychotherapy without psychotherapists, with a focus on minimizing the risk of motion sickness. Objectives: We conducted a single-arm pilot study to assess the efficacy and motion sickness associated with a VR session delivering guided imagery and breathing techniques selected from the initial course of our VR program, involving patients suffering from various acute and chronic pain. Methods: Patients underwent a 15-min VR session. Pain-related and anxiety ratings using a 0-10 numerical rating scale were collected pre-, during-, post-VR and in 6-h follow-up. Motion sickness symptoms were assessed using Simulator Sickness Questionnaire pre- and post-VR. Results: Patients (n = 73) reported their perceived pain intensity and anxiety reduced significantly from pre- to post-VR by 22.9% and 45.0% (all p < 0.0001), respectively. Such modulatory effects of VR in pain perception and anxiety persisted at 30 min, 1 h, 2 h, and 6 h post-VR (all p < 0.0001). The pre-post beneficial effects of VR were independent from patients' demographic characteristics and their pain duration. Importantly, only six patients (8.2%) had post-VR motion sickness symptoms, and only one patient reported moderate level of severity. Conclusion: These findings suggest the selected VR session delivering pain psychotherapeutic techniques may be effective and tolerable for patients with varying pain conditions, which provides initial evidence for the development of future randomized controlled trials of the complete VR program.
关键词	Pain anxiety virtual reality psychotherapy motion sickness
	2025
语种	英语
DOI	10.1177/20552076241308703
发表期刊	DIGITAL HEALTH
ISSN	2055-2076
卷号	11 页码:15
收录类别	SCI
出版者	SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD
WOS关键词	GUIDED IMAGERY ; REDUCE PAIN ; ANXIETY ; RELAXATION ; EFFICACY ; ACCEPTABILITY ; FIBROMYALGIA ; DISTRACTION ; TECHNOLOGY ; DEPRESSION
WOS研究方向	Health Care Sciences & Services ; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health ; Medical Informatics
WOS类目	Health Care Sciences & Services ; Health Policy & Services ; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health ; Medical Informatics
WOS记录号	WOS:001391381700001
引用统计
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	https://ir.psych.ac.cn/handle/311026/48608
通讯作者	Lu, Xuejing; Ma, Ke
作者单位	1.Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ, Xinhua Hosp, Sch Med, Dept Pain Management, Shanghai, Peoples R China 2.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Psychol, CAS Key Lab Mental Hlth, Beijing, Peoples R China 3.Univ Chinese Acad Sci, Dept Psychol, Beijing, Peoples R China 4.Ultimate Therapeut Co Ltd, Dept Res & Technol, Shanghai, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Ma, Bingjie,Zhang, Libo,Ji, Yun,et al. The benefits and safety of a virtual reality intervention in patients suffering from acute and chronic pain: A pilot study[J]. DIGITAL HEALTH,2025,11:15.
APA	Ma, Bingjie.,Zhang, Libo.,Ji, Yun.,Huang, Xuehua.,Yao, Luandi.,...&Ma, Ke.(2025).The benefits and safety of a virtual reality intervention in patients suffering from acute and chronic pain: A pilot study.DIGITAL HEALTH,11,15.
MLA	Ma, Bingjie,et al."The benefits and safety of a virtual reality intervention in patients suffering from acute and chronic pain: A pilot study".DIGITAL HEALTH 11(2025):15.