Virtual Reality for Pain and Fear in Children With Burns

Summary

Burn injuries are very painful for children, especially during dressing changes when the wound is cleaned and re-bandaged. This procedure, while necessary, can cause pain, fear, and distress that may make children afraid of future treatments. Virtual reality (VR) is a technology that uses a headset to show an immersive, interactive 3D world. It can distract children from painful medical procedures.

This study aims to find out if using VR during burn dressing changes can reduce pain, fear, and behavioral distress in children aged 6 to 12 years. Half of the children will receive standard burn care plus VR distraction during their dressing change. The other half will receive standard care only.

The study will take place at the Burns and Plastic Surgery Center, Mansoura University, Egypt. Children will be recruited from both inpatient wards and outpatient clinics. Pain will be measured using a number scale, fear using a faces scale, and distress will be observed throughout the procedure.

It is expected that children who use VR will report less pain, show less fear, and display less distress during their dressing changes compared to children who receive standard care alone.

Conditions

• Burns
• Pain, Procedural
• Pain, Acute
• Fear
• Stress, Psychological

Interventions

DEVICE

Virtual Reality (VR) Distraction

A commercially available standalone VR headset with built-in speakers and a 3D display will be used to deliver immersive, interactive, age-appropriate content. The device will be adjusted for each child's head size to ensure comfort and safety. Children will view content selected from a curated library including: interactive games (e.g., age-appropriate puzzles and engaging activities); exploration experiences (e.g., underwater worlds, space adventures); and calming environments (e.g., nature scenes, relaxing landscapes). Children will be offered a choice of 2-3 age-appropriate VR experiences based on their preferences and developmental level to maximize engagement. The VR intervention will be initiated 2-3 minutes before the dressing change begins and will continue throughout the entire procedure

OTHER

Standard Burn Dressing Care

Routine burn dressing care provided according to standard institutional protocol at the Burns and Plastic Surgery Center, Mansoura University, Egypt. This includes: pre-procedural analgesic administration according to hospital protocol (e.g., oral or intravenous analgesics); psychological preparation by nursing staff; standard wound care procedures (wound cleansing, debridement, and dressing application); and pharmacological pain management as clinically indicated.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Mansoura University

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

6 Years

Max Age

12 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-08-01

Primary Completion

2026-10-30

Completion

2026-11-30

Countries

• Egypt

Study Locations