Effectiveness of Virtual Reality in Reducing Pain and Stress During Office Hysteroscopy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Introduction: Office hysteroscopy (OH) offers a "see and treat" strategy, enabling most gynecological conditions to be addressed outside the operating room without anesthesia. Despite its convenience, the associated pain and stress remain significant barriers to its widespread success amon...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Estadella Tarriel, Josep, Perelló Capó, Josep, Simó González, Marta, Bailón Queiruga, Marta, Real Gatius, Jordi, Gomis-Pastor, Mar, Marre, Diana, Llurba Olivé, Elisa
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:10459.1/467996
Acceso en línea:https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13020131
https://hdl.handle.net/10459.1/467996
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Analgesia
Anxiety
Gynecology
Office hysteroscopy
Pain
Stress
Trial
Virtual reality
Descripción
Sumario:Introduction: Office hysteroscopy (OH) offers a "see and treat" strategy, enabling most gynecological conditions to be addressed outside the operating room without anesthesia. Despite its convenience, the associated pain and stress remain significant barriers to its widespread success among women. Both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions have been explored to mitigate these challenges, albeit with mixed outcomes. Methods: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) in reducing pain and stress associated with OH using objective measurements. Results: Our findings indicate that VR significantly reduced pain during OH compared to the control group (-1.08, 95%CI; -1.93-0.23, on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), p = 0.013) and 10 min post-procedure (-1.24, 95%CI; -1.99-0.48, p = 0.001), without significant effects on stress-related variables. Stratified analyses further revealed that the efficacy of VR in pain reduction is influenced by individual patient characteristics, with greater effectiveness observed in women with lower baseline stress, premenopausal status and a history of childbirth, regardless of vaginal delivery. Conclusions: VR represents a promising strategy for managing OH-associated pain, with its effectiveness largely depending on patient-specific variables.