Exploring the Feasibility of Using Virtual Reality as an Educational Tool in Chronic Pain Rehabilitation

Summary

Introduction: Chronic pain significantly impacts quality of life and requires comprehensive management strategies. Traditional pain education programs are beneficial but often require significant and prolonged patient engagement. Virtual reality (VR) offers a novel approach by creating immersive environments that may enhance the effectiveness of pain education. This protocol outlines a feasibility study to investigate the use of a Virtual Reality (VR) pain education program for people living with chronic pain (PwCP).

Aim of the investigation: To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of delivering a VR pain education program for PwCP. The secondary aim will explore the pre-to-post-test changes in clinical outcomes as proof of concept for a future larger scale investigation.

Methods: We will use Reality Health™ as the VR tool to deliver pain science education. The study will be conducted as a single-arm feasibility study using a pretest:posttest design. Fifty PwCP will engage in the six-week Reality Health™ programme. This education programme focuses on the neurophysiology of pain, pain modulation techniques, cognitive-behavioural strategies and guided virtual exercises.

Results: Primary outcome measures will include the feasibility, acceptability and safety of Reality Health™ including recruitment, retention, intervention adherence and attrition rates. Secondary outcomes will explore the pre-to-post-test changes in outcome measures relating to pain intensity, pain interference, pain self-efficacy, pain self catastrophizing, quality of life and depression as proof of concept for a future larger scale investigation.

Conclusions: Results will establish the feasibility, acceptability and safety of using Reality Health™ in the treatment of chronic pain, informing a future randomised control trial.

Ethical approval: Ethics has been granted from University College Dublin's Human Research Ethics Board (HREC-LS-25-868587).

Acknowledgements: This work is funded through the Interreg north-west Europe project 'Scale-Up Rehab,'approved and funded by the European Commission \[NWE0100082\].

Disclosures: None.

Keywords: Virtual Reality, Chronic Pain, Pain Education, Feasibility Study, Protocol

Conditions

• Pain
• Chronic Pain
• Chronic Pain (Back / Neck)
• Adults
• Virtual Reality
• Neuroscience Pain Education

Interventions

OTHER

6-Week Virtual reality-delivered pain science education and behavioural pain management program

Each participant will receive a six-week VR pain education program delivered via Reality Health™ software. Each session will last for 1 hour (one hour / week for six weeks).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Interreg

  collaborator OTHER

• University College Cork

  collaborator OTHER

• University College Dublin

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Brona Fullen, BSc, MSc, PhD · University College Dublin

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-02-20

Primary Completion

2026-12-31

Completion

2026-12-31

Countries

• Ireland

Study Locations