Virtual Reality in Pediatric Care : Scoping review
Alaspää, Jenna (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025121034537
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025121034537
Tiivistelmä
Virtual reality (VR) has increasingly been explored in healthcare as a non-pharmacological method for reducing pain, anxiety and distress. In pediatric care, VR may offer specific benefits due to children’s unique developmental and emotional needs. The purpose of this scoping review is to map the existing evidence on virtual reality use in pediatric nursing, examining both clinical applications and patient-reported outcomes. The aim of this scoping review was to examine how VR was used in pediatric care, identify the clinical contexts in which it was applied and describe the reported effects and experiences from the patient perspective.
A literature search was conducted in CINAHL Ultimate and PubMed for studies published between 2015 and 2025. Studies were included if they involved children aged 0–18 years receiving a VR intervention in a healthcare setting. Data were extracted according to the PCC framework and analyzed using deductive and inductive content analysis. The review included 23 studies. VR was most commonly used during painful or anxiety-provoking procedures, such as venipuncture, burn care, fracture treatment, dental care and vaccinations. Most studies reported that VR reduced children’s pain, fear and anxiety and improved cooperation and care experiences. No evidence of routine clinical implementation was identified, and no pediatric intensive care studies were found.
VR appears to be a promising method for supporting children during medical procedures, although broader adoption is limited by factors such as device costs, availability of age-appropriate content and age-related usage restrictions. The findings provide direction for further development and integration of VR into family-centred pediatric nursing practice.
A literature search was conducted in CINAHL Ultimate and PubMed for studies published between 2015 and 2025. Studies were included if they involved children aged 0–18 years receiving a VR intervention in a healthcare setting. Data were extracted according to the PCC framework and analyzed using deductive and inductive content analysis. The review included 23 studies. VR was most commonly used during painful or anxiety-provoking procedures, such as venipuncture, burn care, fracture treatment, dental care and vaccinations. Most studies reported that VR reduced children’s pain, fear and anxiety and improved cooperation and care experiences. No evidence of routine clinical implementation was identified, and no pediatric intensive care studies were found.
VR appears to be a promising method for supporting children during medical procedures, although broader adoption is limited by factors such as device costs, availability of age-appropriate content and age-related usage restrictions. The findings provide direction for further development and integration of VR into family-centred pediatric nursing practice.